welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines... direct and straightforward — the white house's assessment of a marathon phone call between president biden and his chinese counterpart, xi jinping in which taiwan was the main focus. fears of a recession in the us after two consecutive quarters of negative growth. but president biden says the economy is still healthy. we have created 9 million new jobs so farjust to as i became president. that doesn't sound like a recession to me. the commonwealth games open in birmingham. more than five—thousand athletes from seventy—two nations and territories will compete over the next 11 days.

and the return of the tiger — why nepal kept its promise to double numbers in the last decade. live from our studio in singapore. this is bbc news. it's newsday. it's 7am in singapore, and 7 in the evening in washington where president joe biden spent more than 2 hours on the phone with his chinese counterpart, xijinping. the two leaders warned each other over taiwan — which again emerged as a key point of tension. this time the tensions started because of a possible visit there by the us house speaker nancy pelosi. although the visit hasn't yet been confirmed — mr biden told xijinping,

that washington strongly opposed any unilateral moves that would change the island's status or undermine stability across the taiwan straits. president xi said: "those who play with fire will only get burnt." joe biden responded to that with "on taiwan... the us policy has not changed. so where does that leave us? well, with an assessment of that phone call here's the bbc�*s barbara plett usher in washington. the chinese are pretty blunt about their position on taiwan, and that readout had emphasised that position, which is that taiwan is part of china, and there is no room for a independence, that he had told president biden, that they should stick with the one china policy. that means, basically, that washington recognises that there is only when chinese government and that it's in beijing, but it only acknowledges china's position on taiwan and says that

the status of taiwan should not be decided by forests. there had been some question for some time about whether those goalposts were shifting. chinese are wondering, there was some confusion about whether the us policy was changing, and then that trip that nancy pelosi may or may not take at this point sort of added fuel to the fire, because she's very senior member, a very senior position as the speaker of the house, and she also belongs to the president's party. i spoke earlier to keith krach, former us under—secretary of state. he told me the world is watching to see how xijinping will act next. according to china's readout, xi want to pull back putin, and you know, he should look no further than ukraine to see how nato and the us has defended and backed ukraine against put putin's bloody invasion, his war. let me be blunt.

no one wants war. and no one wants military conflict. it is critical that the us maintain communication with china. yes, so just to jump in there, as you point out from a nobody wants war and nobody wants military conflict. there are a lot of people who are saying right now, particularly out here in asia who are watching the situation very closely, they are very concerned that if nancy pelosi does indeed come and make that visit to taiwan, that is what it will lead to, to military escalation and to war. well, you know, i'll never forget when i was briefed by my career foreign service officers at the state department, they told me that i would be that drinking, highest—ranking state department official to taiwan, as you mentioned. that truthfully was the honour of my life. but i can tell you, the us has

been adhering to this, and i was greeted over, you know, media lines by fighters and bombers. what are you going to do? you going to turn back and say, hey, i'm not going to land. absolutely speaker pelosi should visit taiwan. why shouldn't she? why should she be bullied by the chinese communist party? no way. is it worth the military escalation? possibility of actual conflict breaking out in this part of the world for that visit to take place? well, let me be clear again. nobody wants the conflict. it is xi, who is... here you have an american citizen saying you cannot go somewhere. you have the speaker of the house, she is going out of friendship for taiwan. taiwan is the linchpin

of democracy. the role model for freedom, taiwan dispels his neck that the chinese culture could not slip under a democracy and he wants it destroyed. you know, when i went over there i said i will not stand in the two that the chinese president and i don't think anybody should either. i don't think speaker pelosi should as well. and what she is doing is warmongering, and he continues to do that. and i ink the rest of the world, to be quite honest, is getting sick and tired of it. let's take a look at some other stories in the headlines. an ongoing battle between rival gangs in haiti has reached the centre of the capital, port au prince. video showed gang members and police engaged in a fierce gun battle on wednesday. it's not clear how many people had died since the violence began three weeks ago, although the united nations

estimates that more than 200 people died in a nine day period earlier this month. the democratic republican of congo has put thirty oil and gas drilling permits up for auction, opening up part of the world's second—biggest rainforest to drilling. activists call this an environmental catastophe, which could release large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere. the drc�*s president said the process was a way to benefit from the country's natural resources. president emmanuel macron is having talks with the saudi crown prince at the start of mohammed bin salman�*s controversial visit to france. they shook hands cordially as prince salman arrived at the elysee palace, but the visit has been criticised by rights groups. they describe contacts with the saudi royal as inappropriate, less than four years after the murder of jamal khashoggi. he was tortured and murdered by saudi agents in istanbul.

let's leave the us china tensions for now — and look at another story making headlines in the united states — with consequences for us all. the us economy has shrunk for the second quarter in a row, fuelling fears of a recession. it's a milestone that would be considered a recession in many countries. gross domestic product declined at an annual rate of zero—point—nine percent, following a bigger drop in the first three months of the year. but the us treasury secretary janet yellen said the economy is now at "full employment" — as the unemployment rate remains at a low 3.6%. meanwhile prices for groceries, petrol and other basics are rising at the fastest pace since 1981 — after inflation hit 9.1% in june. here's presidentjoe biden speaking a few hours ago about the state of the us economy. both chairman powell and many of the significant banking

personnel anti—communists say we are not in a recession. let mejust give you we are not in a recession. let me just give you what the facts are in terms of the state of the economy. number one, we have a record job markets, record of unemployment at 3.6% today. we've created 9 million newjobs today. we've created 9 million new jobs so today. we've created 9 million newjobs so farjust today. we've created 9 million new jobs so far just as today. we've created 9 million newjobs so farjust as i become president. businesses are investing in america at record rates. that doesn't sound like a recession to me. a short while ago i spoke to maury obstfeld, a professor of economics at the university of california, berkeley — and previously chief economist at the international monetary fund. i asked him why the us is saying it's not experiencing a recession. well, two consecutive quarters of negative growth is concerning, but it wouldn't fit anyone�*s definition of recession, certainly not the national bureau of economic research, which in the united states is the official chronicler

of recession since the recession of 1857. the criteria requires not only negative gdp growth, but a downturn in the economy that satisfies the 3d which are depth, duration and diffusion. that's not the case here. as president biden said, if you look at the labour markets, we have been having very rapid job growth. in the labour market is very have very tight, which is indeed one of the problems. now, it is true that the economy seems to be slowing, and it will have to slow further if inflation is going to come down to defence targets. i would put the odds of recession in the next year better than 50—50, but we are certainly not there yet.

i would just want to ask you about what you think about the approach of the us fed right now raising rates as aggressively as it has. is that the right strategy, should they have started sooner? the benefit of 2020 hindsight. i think they should've started i think that would've avoided some of the pain of these very large increases in the last few cycles, but there is basically no alternative to raising the interest rate, some want to get inflation down, the other tool that's available to the governments is a fiscal i2, and then use legislation that may be able to pass ——tool, and the new legislation that may be able to pass the senate now now that the senator has changed his view will actually reduce the deficit if it is passed. i will also help on the inflation front. the two candidates vying

to be the uk's next prime minister, liz truss and rishi sunak, have taken part in the first official hustings with conservative party members. the event in leeds was the first of 12 to be held over the next few weeks. to ukraine now — where soldiers on the frontlines, are saying the rate of russia's bombardment of eastern ukraine has dropped — by at least a half — thanks to the arrival of sophisticated western weaponry. but is it merely a brief lull, or a sign, that the tide is turning in the conflict. 0ur correspondent andrew harding reports from donbas. the familiar sounds of war thunder across ukraine's front lines. but something is changing here in the donbas. we're rushing to a secret location and a rare rendezvous with a weapon that mightjust be helping to tip the balance in this war. the caesar is a gift from france to ukraine. today, its giant gun

is aiming at a russian target 27 kilometres away. ok, now we have to get out quickly before the russians potentially find our positions and fire back. "these guns are making all the difference," says dmytro, the unit commander. "their range, their accuracy. as a result the russian bombardment has been reduced by half or even by two thirds." and here's the proof. footage of giant russian ammunition stores now being hit far behind the front lines. and ukraine can now target key bridges like this one near the russian—held city of kherson, perhaps the start of a push towards crimea — which all helps to explain this. all quiet, unusually quiet, on this stretch of the eastern front. anothersign, perhaps,

of russia's faltering momentum. just listen to that silence. the point these soldiers keep making to us along the length of this front line is that western weapons really are making a big difference, but not yet a decisive difference. they still need many more if they are to turn the tide against the russians. "it's balanced now 50—50," says colonel yuri bereza. "that's thanks to the artillery the west has sent here, but we're not yet in a position to counterattack. we still need a lot more weapons, or it will be a bloodbath". and it's notjust about equipment. ukraine has lost so many soldiers that it's still struggling to fill the gaps, often with barely trained volunteers. acquiring my sight. they lack the basic soldiering skills that the west is used to. but a good positive is this is their homeland and all 36, 37 of these soldiers seem eager

to defend it. you've got to have heart. skill�*s good, but heart's great. plenty of heart, then, but still not enough weapons or trained soldiers to be sure of turning the tide. andrew harding, bbc news in eastern ukraine. you're watching newsday on the bbc. (tx oov + still to come on the programme... farewell to neighbours after nearly four decades —— the final episode hits tv screens in australia. the us space agency nasa has ordered an investigation after confirmation today that astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk.

the last foot patrol here, once an everyday part of the soldier's lot of trudgery and danger, now no more after almost four decades. each one is on one's own in a private house not doing any harm to anyone. i don't really see why all these people should wander in and say "you are doing something wrong." six rare white lion cubs- are on the prowl at worchester park, and already, they've been met with a roar of— approval from visitors. they were lovely, yeah, really sweet. yeah, they were cute. this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. president xi warns joe biden against disregarding the one—china principle over taiwan in a marathon two hour phone call.

presdeint biden rejects fears of a recession in the us after two consecutive quarters of negative growth. the commonwealth games have begun in birmingham, with the opening ceremony marking the start of competition. prince charles and the duchess of cornwall attended the ceremony, which told the story of the city of birmingham and was headlined by the band duran duran. 0ur sports correspondent jane dougall is in birmingham's victoria park and sent this preview of the games. there's been a party going on here in victoria square as people gather to celebrate the opening of these commonwealth games in birmingham. representatives from 72 nations and territories around the globe will be taking part with 6500 athletes and officials all descending here on birmingham ahead of the events. it's going to be the biggest sporting programme in commonwealth games history, with new sports being added, including women's 2020 cricket, three on three basketball

and mixed synchronised swimming. the events themselves begin on friday and they are the most inclusive to date with a record 42 para sports that will be running concurrently at the games and also more medals will be available for the women's competitors than for the men's for the first time ever on the first day. 16 gold medals are up for grabs, the first of which is the men's and women's triathlon, then the men's gymnastics team final. and in the afternoon, the track cycling significantly more than 1.2 million tickets have already been sold for these games, making them the best attended yet. let's turn to nepal now — where tigers are making a roaring comeback. the small himalayan nation is the first country to keep

a promise to double its wild tiger population in the last decade. 0ther iconic species including rhinos and elephants have also seen an increase. what's behind the success and what does it mean for the communities living with the tigers. the bbc�*s asia editor rebecca henschke reports from bardiya national park. tigers have more than doubled in number in the last ten years here in nepal. it's a victory in a battle to bring them back from the brink of extinction. one of the key factors of nepal's success has been strong enforcement against poaching, and that's involved the military. armed units like this one patrol across the park daily. tigers are majestic creatures, you know? being assigned in the protection duties, it's an honour, you know, it's a privilege to be part of something that is really big. these forests where tigers are now being protected, used to be royal hunting grounds.

archive: this is a land whose | people have always lived under the menace of marauding tigers. when queen elizabeth visited nepal in 1961, she took part in a tiger hunt. and yes, there was the tiger. king mahendra had fulfilled a time honoured obligation of a host in nepal and provided the royal party with a tiger to shoot. as a result of hunting, poaching and habitat loss, there's now less than 4,000 tigers in the wild. but here in bardia national park, there are signs of a remarkable recovery. hundreds of cameras hidden as part of a nationwide tiger census. and when you're analysing the footage, how do you make sure that your count is accurate? translation: just like people have unique fingerprints. - all tigers have

different stripes. that's how we distinguish them and count them. we have seen tiger cubs and also tigers rolling around. it is definitely something to be celebrated. it does not come without the cost. the common area that the tigers and the prey species and the humanity shares is so tight. the community lives in terror. so there is a price that the community has paid for the world to rejoice. and with the news that nepal has successfully doubled its, you know, tiger numbers. this woman lost her mother in law last year. she's one of 16 people killed by a tiger in the last 12 months. translation: during the next few years, more families - will suffer like me. the number of victims will soar. ifeel like i'm going crazy. i want to scream into the forest and run. when a tiger kills a human, they're tracked down

and taken into captivity. there's seven now behind bars. more number of tigers and more number of people. definitely there's going to be conflict. so it is going to be a challenging job for us to maintain peace between two species. keeping that peace will be key to the successful return of the tigers. rebecca henschke, bbc news, nepal. a fascinating report there. did you grow up watching this? a fascinating report there. did you grow up watching this? i certainly did. after 37 years — and nearly 9,000 episodes — the soap opera neighbours is coming to an end. the last episode has already screened in australia and will be shown in the uk on friday. kylie minogue and jason donovan returned for the show, offering viewers — the perfect blend — of tear—jerking nostalgia from the programme's heyday. 0ur australia correspondent shaimaa khalil reports. # neighbours, everybody

needs good neighbours...# it was the soundtrack for a soap opera generation. guess what? well, you're talking to me at any rate. and a tv show that turned australian suburbia... g'day. ..into a global success. you might not recognise the name, but if you have been watching neighbours over the years, you will definitely know where we are. it is the famous ramsay street, the home of the soap. neighbours became a massive hit in the late �*80s and the early �*90s, and while many australians loved it... i'm talking to you, madge mitchell, ramsay, whatever your name is. ..it was britain where it really took off. 0h, someone else to... i couldn't walk down the street, particularly in the uk. you would just be mobbed and chased. of course, i'd be happy to but i'm a little snowed under here. we got to a time here where the post office had to put on a special delivery because they couldn't deliver all the english fanmail. 0h, right, you must be mike.

the show was the launch pad for the careers of guy pearce, margot robbie and jason donovan. then, of course... charlene! ..there's kylie minogue. from suburban mechanic to the princess of pop. charlene and scott's wedding in 1987 pulled in over 20 million viewers in the uk, more than a third of the country. both the cast and story lines have become more diverse. neighbours had australia's first same—sex wedding on tv, broadcast soon after gay marriage was legalised in the country. forthe finale, neighbours stars have returned. i like to think i'm just going to hang the shoes up, or in paul's case, the suit up, and walk away. but i don't know. i think it will probably take a bit of a while to shake off. how the show ends is a closely guarded secret. the producers want the finale to be fulfilling, joyous,

and a big group hug for all the fans, for whom neighbours became good friends. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, melbourne. # that's when good neighbours become good...friends #. that tune never leaves you come up? i want subjected to a rendition of it now, but i will tell you about the fact that you have been watching newsday, remained of our top story... white house says president biden�*s phone conversation with his chinese counterpart was direct and straightforward. the pair spoke for more than two hours. afterward, beijing said the president of china had warned mr biden against playing with fire over taiwan. a possible visit to the self governed island by speaker nancy pelosi has been raising tensions between the two.

american officials said president biden had reminded the chinese president that washington remains strongly opposed to any unilateral. that's it from us. thanks for watching. hello there. this week has been quite a cloudy one for many parts of the country, but it looks like we're going to end the week with more sunshine, and that means it's going to be feeling warmer everywhere. into the weekend, though, we're going to look at this cloud that's been hanging around in the atlantic to push down from the northwest into the uk. ahead of it, we still have some cloud that's been producing some rain in scotland and northern england. but away from here, we start with some clearer spells early on friday morning and temperatures around 11 to 1a celsius. there will still be some rain left over across northern england and southern scotland. it'll tend to peter out in the morning, sunshine elsewhere, but over land, the cloud will bubble up, mightjust give one or two light showers. bulk of those, i think, will be across northern england and eastern scotland. and many coastal areas will have a dry and mostly sunny day.

it's going to be warmer, though, for all of us. temperatures low 20s, scotland, northern ireland, northern england, warmer further south and making 28 celsius in the south east of england. notice, through, this cloud coming in to northern ireland. we'll see some rain arriving here during the evening. and overnight, that rain will push its way eastwards into scotland, over the irish sea into northern parts of england. but again, further south, it's staying dry. it's going to be a warm start to the weekend, actually, those temperatures, 1a to 16 celsius. now, i showed you the cloud earlier on. that's on this weather front here, which is slipping its way into england and wales overnight and during saturday, but weakening all the while. so there won't be much rain left over by the afternoon. we start cloudy and with some rain across northern areas in the morning, that rain tending to peter out, slowly brightening up in scotland and northern ireland, and just a little bit of rain left over for northwest england and western parts of wales in the afternoon. ahead of it, though, the midlands towards the southeast and east anglia, a warm day again on saturday with temperatures around 27 celsius. so we've got a weather front heading ourway, bringing with it the possibility of some rain.

and then that weather frontjust hangs around for the second half of the weekend. this is where we've got a lot of uncertainty. just little bumps along that weatherfront, maybe pepping up the rain from time to time. and it looks like that rain now is going to be a bit further south across wales, the midlands and across east anglia, the far south of england may stay dry, and further north, it looks like it'll be dry, brighter and a little bit cooler in scotland and northern ireland. still some warmth, though, if we do get some sunshine in the southeast of england.

this is bbc news. we'll have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour, as newsday continues — straight after hardtalk. welcome to hardalk, i'm stephen sackur. south africa is in a long—term flirtation with political and economic chaos. mass unemployment, power cuts, and rising crime are stoking discontent and instability. my guest today is julius malema, a former anc loyalist—turned—populist enemy of the ruling party. could one of africa's richest nations be consumed by insurrectionist violence?