welcome to newsday, reporting live from singapore, i'm karishma vaswani. the headlines: direct, in—depth, 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've created 9 million newjob just since becoming president. business are investing in america at record rates. that doesn't sound like a recession to me. the commonwealth games open in birmingham.

more than 5,000 athletes from 72 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. it's 8am in singapore, and eight in the evening in washington, where presidentjoe biden has spent more than two hours on the phone with his chinese counterpart, xijinping.

taiwan emerged once again as a key point of tension between the two leaders, this time sparked by 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 diplomatic relations? 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 said that xi jinping had emphasised that position, which is that taiwan is part of china and there is no room for taiwanese 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 one chinese government and that it is in beijing but it only acknowledges china's position on taiwan and it says that the

status of taiwan should not be decided by force and there had in some question for some time about whether those goalposts were shifting. chinese were wondering, there was some confusion about whether the us policy was changing and then the trip that nancy pelosi may or may not take at this point sort of added fuel to the fire because she is a 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 wants to pull out hooton and he should look no further than ukraine to see how nato and the us has defended against putin's

plenty invasion, his war. so let me be blunt. no—one wants more, and no—one wants military conflict, and it is critical that the us maintained communication with china. just to “um communication with china. just to jump in _ communication with china. just to jump in there, _ communication with china. just tojump in there, as you point out that nobody wants war and military conflict and there are a lot of people who are saying right now, particularly out here in asia who are watching this situation very closely, they are very concerned that if nancy pelosi does indeed come and make that visit to taiwan, thatis and make that visit to taiwan, that is what it will lead to, to military escalation and to war. ~ , ., ~' ., war. well, you know, i will never forget _ war. well, you know, i will never forget when - war. well, you know, i will never forget when i - war. well, you know, i will never forget when i was i war. well, you know, i will- never forget when i was briefed by my career foreign service officers at the state department, they are the best in the world and they told me that i would be that highest ranking state department official to go to taiwan as you mentioned, and that truthfully was the honour of my life. but

i can tell you, the us has been adhering to this and i was reading over the media line by 40 reading over the media line by a0 fires and bombers. what are you going to do? are you going to turn back and say i am not going to land? absolutely speaker pelosi should visit taiwan and why shouldn't she? and why should she be bullied by the chinese communist party? no way. is by the chinese communist party? no wa . , ., no way. is it worth the military _ no way. is it worth the military escalation, - no way. is it worth the - military escalation, though, keith? is it worth the possibility of actual conflict breaking out in this part of the world for that visit to take place?— the world for that visit to take lace? , . ., take place? let me be clear auain, take place? let me be clear again. nobody— take place? let me be clear again, nobody wants - take place? let me be clear again, nobody wants the . again, nobody wants the conflict, and it is xi who was cranking it up. here you have an american citizen saying, you can't go somewhere. you have the speaker of the house, she is going out of friendship for

taiwan. taiwan is a linchpin of democracy. they are a role model for freedom. democracy. they are a role model forfreedom. to xi, taiwan dispels his myth model for freedom. to xi, taiwan dispels his myth that the chinese culture could not live under democracy and he wants it destroyed. and when i went over there and said i will not bend in the two xi and i don't think anyone should either and they don't think speaker pelosi should as well, and what xi is doing is warmongering and he continues to do that. i think 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 republic of the congo has put 30 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 0.9%, 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.i% injune. (tx sot) about the state of the us economy.

both chairman powell and many of the significant banking personnel and economists say 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 market, record unemployment of 3.6%, today's. we have created 9 million newjobs so farjust since i became president. businesses are investing in america at record rates. that doesn't sound like a recession to me. , ., �* doesn't sound like a recession tome. �* ,, to me. joe biden speaking there a short while — to me. joe biden speaking there a short while ago. _ a short while ago i spoke to maury 0bstfeld, 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. 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 recessions since the recession of 1857. the criteria required not only check to make negative gdp growth but a downturn in the economy that satisfies the three d's which are depth, duration and diffusion and that is not the case here. as president biden said, if you look at the labour market we have been having very rapid growth and the labour market is very hot, very tight which is indeed one of the fed's problems. it is true that the economy seems to be slowing and it will have a slow further if inflation is going to come down to the fed's target. i would put the odds of recession in the next year at better than

50-50 but the next year at better than 50—50 but we are certainly not there yet. i 50-50 but we are certainly not there yet-— there yet. i 'ust want to ask ou there yet. i 'ust want to ask you what — there yet. i just want to ask you what you _ there yet. i just want to ask you what you think- there yet. i just want to ask you what you think of- there yet. i just want to ask you what you think of the i you what you think of 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 _ have started sooner? the benefit of 2020 _ have started sooner? tie: benefit of 2020 hindsight, have started sooner? tte: benefit of 2020 hindsight, i think they should have started a bit sooner. i think that would have avoided

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. still to come on the programme: farewell to neighbours after nearly four decades, the final episode hits tv screens in australia. cheering.

the us space agency, nasa, has ordered an investigation, after confirmation today that astronauts were cleared to fly while drunk. the last foot patrol in south armagh, once an everyday part of the soldier's lot, drudgery and danger, now no more after almost four decades. if 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're doing something wrong". six rare white lion cubs on the prowl at a worcestershire wildlife park, and have already been met with a roar of approval from visitors. they are lovely and sweet, yeah, they're cute.

this is newsday on the bbc. i'm karishma vaswani in singapore. 0ur headlines: president xi warnsjoe biden against disregarding the one—china principle over taiwan in a marathon two hour phone call. president 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 is being a party going on here in victoria square as people gathered to celebrate the opening of the commonwealth games in birmingham. representatives of 72

territories and nations around the globe will be taking part 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 twenty20 cricket, three on three basketball and mixed synchronised swimming. the events begin on friday and they are the most inclusive to date, with a record a2 harris sport switchboard be running concurrently at the games. —— parasports. and more medals will be available for the women for the first time ever. 16 gold medals up for grabs today which is the men's and women's triathlon, the men's gymnastics team final and in the afternoon, the truck 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 the 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 a,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. sanjana 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. remarkable piece of reporting on a difficult problem to solve. after 37 years, and nearly

9,000 episodes, 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 tearjerking 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. i 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. ah, someone else to farewell a traveller. i couldn't walk down the street, particularly in the uk. 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 storylines 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 its fans, for whom neighbours became good friends. shaimaa khalil, bbc news, melbourne. # that's when good neighbours become good...friends #. you have been watching newsday. a reminder of our top story, the white house says president biden�*s phone conversation with his chinese counterpart was direct and straightforward. the pair spoke for more than two hours.

that's it from newsday, thank so much forjoining us, do stay with bbc news the latest global headlines. 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—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. this 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 our way, 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 will have the headlines and all the main news stories for you at the top of the hour straight after this programme. coming up on the travel show... we are finding out what's at the bottom of venice's most popular canals. there's something really big on the line here. it looks really, really heavy. we meet the chef bringing a comforting taste of ukraine to london. welcome to my kitchen! thank you. and lucy checks out the latest tech designed to inject more fun into festival season.

i just love the fact that i can film hands—free effortlessly.