hello and welcome to asia business report. let's start with the markets here in asia. tokyo stocks have opened lower this morning, while the dollar briefly topped 150 yen overnight for the first time since october 2022. that is what the nikkei is looking like, down by 1.63%. that is what the nikkei is looking like, down by 1.77%. the yen�*s weakness is fuelling speculation the government may step in to prop up the currency to stop it from falling further. let's also take you through how the us markets are doing. they fell sharply as it focused on the downside of the surprisingly strong job market. the s&p 500 dropped 1.37%. its lowest point in four months.

the dow wiped out the last of its gains made for the year so far. shares of chinese real estate giant evergrande jumped by 28% as trading resumed in hong kong, after being halted last week. we will put up those figures for you as well, and as you can see the debt laden developer's stock market valuation has fallen by almost 99% since july 2020. we should also point out that it is a penny stock at this stage, just to put those numbers in context as well. over the last year, it has come to light that the evergrande company is the world's most indebted developer, with liabilities at over $300 billion. but it's not alone. other smaller developers have also defaulted on their debts, leaving unfinished building projects across the country. the chinese government has announced more support for real estate companies, including encouraging banks to extend the repayment periods on loans. the property market accounts for around a quarter of the world's second largest economy. that is why it is all the more

significant. stephaniejens, i significant. stephanie jens, i asked significant. stephaniejens, i asked her a short while back what her assessment of the property sector was. well, because of the property market developments that you just highlighted, i think we had to admit that on a very short—term, technical basis, it is prudent to stay on the sidelines and just observe how these situations evolve. because right now, we're at a point where sentiment has been dented so much and it has so negatively impacted that you can also see the investment flows out of the chinese investment areas have also been very heavily affected. so that is one area that led us to evaluate our medium and longer—term view. there's still a lot of volatility around the news, although we had some positives that you just mentioned coming out after the hong kong market opened again. so we still evaluate the situation, and we will kind

of assess when to go back into the market. all right. the fraud trial of the former crypto currency billionaire has started in new york with the process ofjury selection. sam bankman—fried shocked the markets nearly a year ago when his ftx exchange went bankrupt. federal prosecutors accuse him of embezzling billions of dollars from clients to support a hedge fund to buy luxury properties and also donate millions to political candidates. he has pleaded not guilty to seven counts of fraud. the case could also influence how crypto is regulated going forward. the bbc�*s erin delmore has the story. sam bankman—fried once held court with reporters from his $30 million bahamas penthouse. now he is in court, marking another turn in the crypto billionaire�*s meteoric rise and cataclysmic fall. he was hailed as a visionary

of crypto and someone who was going to take the industry to new heights. now he is an indicted fraudster, who is facing a criminal trial. mr bankman—fried is the founder and former chief executive of the crypto currency exchange, ftx. he is at the centre of what prosecutors are calling one of the biggest financial frauds in us history. prosecutors say he engaged in a years�* long scheme to use billions of dollars of ftx customer money to enrich himself and prop up his crypto hedge fund, alimeter research. along the way he tried to make ftx a household name, from branding sports arenas to buying a super bowl ad. like i was saying, it is ftx, it is a safe and easy way to get into crypto. yeah, i don't think so. but when ftx collapsed in september, more than $8 million in customer funds went missing. he is facing charges including

wire fraud, security fraud and money—laundering. mr bankman—fried is pleading not guilty, and this is what he told the bbc just before his arrest. were you are incompetent or were you fraudulent? i did not knowingly commit fraud, i don't think i committed fraud, i didn't want any of this to happen. danya perry is a former federal prosecutor and she says the garment has the edge. the government has the benefit of several corroborating witnesses, who were co—founders along with mr bankman—fried, and who are classic insiders. if sam bankman—fried is found guilty of all seven charges, he could spend decades in prison, and this case has wider implications, forcing the debate over how crypto is regulated back into the spotlight. erin delmore, bbc news in new york. to india now where the world bank has retained its growth

forecast for the country at more than 6% this year. the organisation says it will continue to grow rapidly over the next three years as well but there are a number of headwinds emerging for asia's third and largest economy. from mumbai, this report. the world bank expects india to grow at the 6.3 to 6.5% levels over the next three years. many countries would envy these numbers, and they do indicate that india will remain one of the fastest—growing major economies in the world. there are a number of macro challenges that could take some steam of this growth. for one, the bank has raised india's inflation projection from 5.2% to 5.9% for this year. food prices remain elevated, and now commodity prices are going up. what this means is the possibility of interest rate cards has been pushed back to the next financial year, according to many economists. it is something that will weigh on discretionary spending

by households as we approach the festive season, especially since many high—value purchases are made with loans. a subpar monsoon could also affect demand for goods and is as is, particularly from farming dependent rural areas. add to this challenging global conditions, which have already begun hitting india's exports. if all of these factors are likely to take a toll on growth numbers, as we enter the second half of this financial year. now to our bbc weekly special series. dealing with angry customers on support calls may not sound like the most glamorous job in the world, but we have been speaking to one ceo who likes to get his hands dirty doing it, and he has been telling the bbc exactly why. as a tech ceo, one of the most valuable uses of my time is actually taking customer support calls.

running a tech company is not like running a coffee shop. you can actually go your entire career without ever meeting a customer, because customers don't come in and talk to you. so as the ceo, you need to practically reach out to customers to get to know them. this can mean answering customer support tickets, you taking customer calls or being on sales call because if you don't do this you can really lose track of what your customers actually need from you. one of the funniest experiences i had as a tech ceo taking customer support calls was one time i had a customer tell me, "wow, you know the business very well, is there some "manager i can give some feedback too, "i would love to tell you the greatjob you're doing." i tell them, thanks a lot, i let them know. more news making headlines, malaysia's prime minister has threatened legal action against anyone found hoarding rice, as concerns over rising prices and supply shortages have led to consumers stockpiling local grains.

the southeast asian country imports around 38% of its rice needs and is feeling the impact of export restrictions imposed by countries like india, leading to panic buyers by consumers. are as well as higher prices. the bbc understands uk prime minister rishi sunak is due to announce plans to end the high—speed rail plan. he is expected to set out a range of alternative projects in the north of england as well as in wales. he is also likely to argue that these projects will be better value for money, and can be delivered more quickly. it comes after weeks of speculation about the future of the line. tiktok is testing a new monthly subscription, which would get rid of adverts on the video sharing site. the bbc at the moment understands that the chinese firm is trying out the service in an english—speaking market outside the us, but it has also declined to comment on exactly where that is. the subscription is being tested at $4.99. tiktok currently displays personalised adverts for all users over

the age of 18. us treasury secretary janet yellen says america has become overly dependent on china for critical supply chains, particularly in technology clean energy products. ms yellen has repeated her long—standing view that the us does not want to decouple economically from china. however, she says the us would face national security concerns without a robust semiconductor sector much more on the bbc news website. thanks very much for watching. bbc news, bringing you different stories from across the uk. a lot has changed since ronald leary started his apprenticeship in 1963. harold macmillan was the prime minister and the beatles had onlyjust released their debut album. , , . ~ album. getting the lights back on,

album. getting the lights back on. that's _ album. getting the lights back on, that's what _ album. getting the lights back on, that's what it's _ album. getting the lights back on, that's what it's all - album. getting the lights back on, that's what it's all about, | on, that's what it's all about, putting the lights back on. we all rely on it nowadays, don't we? ., ., ., , , we? he 75 now, and has been workin: we? he 75 now, and has been working on — we? he 75 now, and has been working on the _ we? he 75 now, and has been working on the overhead - we? he 75 now, and has been l working on the overhead power lines across kent and sussex for 60 years. i lines across kent and sussex for 60 yew-— lines across kent and sussex for 60 years. i thought i would be lona for 60 years. i thought i would be long gone _ for 60 years. i thought i would be long gone by _ for 60 years. i thought i would be long gone by now, - for 60 years. i thought i would be long gone by now, i - for 60 years. i thought i would | be long gone by now, i thought the grim reaper would have come calling by now! but there we are, i'm still here. is absolutely _ are, i'm still here. is absolutely incredible. he is absolutely incredible i and to think he is still doing the job he does, we have not seen anybody else older - and still going at a. height like he does. still keeping the - youngsters in check. the biggest moments of his career was the great storm in 1987, which took almost three weeks to completely restore the power. devastating for the network. it put the lines down, poles snapped off, transformers on the ground, it was a major job to get it all rebuilt. it's clear that nothing will be stopping him any time soon. i have no plans for retirement at the moment, so i'll keep plodding on. v0|ce—0ver: for more stories from across the uk, head to the bbc news website.

hello. tonight, tiktok may launch an ad free subscription, and beside a double rainbow. first, rishi sunak says he won't be forced into a premature decision on the future of the high—speed rail line connecting london, the midlands and the north of england. the line to leeds has already been scrapped, and now there is reports of the track from birmingham to manchester will also be cancelled because of rising costs. but the prime minister insists that no decision has been made yet. i know there is a lot of speculation on this but what i can say is i'm going to approach this the same way i approach everything — thoughtfully, carefully, across the detail and making what i believe is the right decision in the long term for our country. some other stories now. gig security guards are illegally obtaining work licenses after attending

sham training courses. the bbc has gone undercover and found people teaching courses skipping out first aid, giving answers to exams and lying so people could finish sooner. planned strikes on the tube in london on wednesday and friday have been called off by the rail workers union, after significant progress in talks overjobs and conditions. tiktok is testing a new monthly subscription, which would get rid of adverts. it is said to be trying out the service in an english speaking market outside the us, but it has not said where. time now to leave you with ten seconds of weird weather. a double rainbow and lightning combined during a sunset over the great plains in the middle of the united states. what a view. you are all caught up. goodbye for now. have a good night.

hello and welcome to sports day. coming up on the programme: a five—goal thriller at old trafford on a famous night for galatasaray in the champions league as manchester united lose again.

out of the china open: the top seed carlos alcaraz is beaten byjannik sinner. we will tell you who awaits him in the final. and you'll hear from the bbc green sport athlete of the year as australia captain pat cummins tells us how he's trying to tackle cricket's carbon footprint. it's one of those things that, you know, no—one's ever going to be perfect, but i think everyone could do something a little bit different in their life that might make a big difference. welcome along. thank you forjoining us. it has been a night of drama in the european champions league. manchester united's return to the competition continues to be a miserable one. it's two defeats

in two for them after a sensational win for galatasaray.