we'll look at the challenges he faces to keep them. plus... i caught up with one of the most recognisable names in formula 1 as the race wrapped up in singapore. hello and welcome to business today. i'm steve lai. let's begin in sri lanka. its new president anura kumara dissanayake faces the grim task of reviving an economy which collapsed in 2022. that led to a bailout from the international monetary fund to the tune of nearly three billion dollars. dissanayake won saturday's election after a historic second round of counting, which tallied voters�* second and third choice candidates. for more on what lies ahead for sri lanka, let's bring in ganesh wignaraja. he is a visiting senior fellow at odi, a uk—based global affairs think tank. thank you for speaking to me to. so soon after the presidential election to take

place. i want to get your thoughts on what the president—elect and first priorities will be, especially regarding the priority —— economy. he talks about a new and progressive schleicher in his manifesto, which emphasizes production, good policies, which means promoted agriculture and many factory. i think his first actions will be talking to the international monetary fund where they say they work within that framework, would also try to negotiate some of the harsh austerity measures, and there would be a lot of emphasis on transit route out the corruption that has plagued sri lanka for so long. are corruption that has plagued sri lanka for so long.— lanka for so long. are those two issues _ lanka for so long. are those two issues about _ lanka for so long. are those two issues about speaking i lanka for so long. are those | two issues about speaking to the imf and addressing corruption in the country, are the links i all given the history that sri lanka has had in the past?— history that sri lanka has had in the ast? ~ , ., .,

in the past? the imf programme is reall a in the past? the imf programme is really a sort — in the past? the imf programme is really a sort of _ in the past? the imf programme is really a sort of last _ is really a sort of last measure to help the country thatis measure to help the country that is in debt defaults status to reach its requirements with economic restructuring, and part of the problem it has been the large infrastructure projects that have come from china, which have been a bit opaque in how they have been managed, so there has been in multiple rent seeking behavior, and i think this wants to improve the way in which the economy works and economic growth across the country, so there is a linkage, for sure. do expect significant changes the, given the president—elect goals that he set out in his mandates? he goals that he set out in his mandates?— goals that he set out in his mandates? . , ., , ., , , mandates? he has a strong sense of a left-leaning _ mandates? he has a strong sense of a left-leaning agenda - mandates? he has a strong sense of a left-leaning agenda with - of a left—leaning agenda with the compassion for the people what been affected. sri lanka has something like 25% of its publication in poverty according to the world bank which is doubled over the crisis period, so he would put

emphasis on transit reduce the hardships facing the people and the key challenge is how does he pay for that, and this renegotiation with the imf programme which you want to negotiate and some of the other compositions will be one way of getting resources, and the possibility that taxes may also arise in some areas, particularly on the wealthy, while bringing down the value added tax, but there should be some kind —— continuity of the agenda of the outgoing presidency, he put in place a central bank act which means that macroeconomic policies is more prudent and use with current —— controlling infection. he will also keep in place the fiscal measures of a better budget and a better way of allocating money for infrastructure and also soliciting money from abroad, which is more prudent, and then there is the important agenda of cutting red tape and making the economy more open and

competitive and availability of foreign investment, so there are all these things that was initiated in the previous president that the new president that the new president needs to put going forward to help sri lanka economy in the short term. you can find more of our coverage and analysis on sri lanka on our website, bbc dot com forward slash news. to other stories making headlines, us chip company qualcomm has reportedly approached rival intel about a takeover. the move was first reported by the wall streetjournal, which cited anonymous sources. intel is known for making products that power modern pcs, but it has been struggling to get a foothold in the artificial intelligence race. its shares have fallen by more than 50% this year. brazil's supreme court has asked x to prove it has appointed a new legal representative in the country. this comes after the elon

musk—owned platform said it had addressed the key demand by the court. x was shut down in brazil last month after it did not comply with court orders on the moderation of hate speech. legal representatives for x have in recent days said they were keen to resume operations in brazil. turning to motor sport — the singapore leg of the formula one race wrapped up on sunday. i had the chance to catch up exclusively with the team principal and ceo of oracle red bull racing christian horner while he was in singapore. we had a wide—ranging conversation about the tough year he's had with key personnel changes, the misconduct allegations, as well as how artificial intelligence is changing the sport aland ml in machine learning is another aspect of the cutting edge technology of formula one. and we're using ai in our simulations. how we prepare for a grand prix. um, and it's a fascinating, you know, fascinating technology that we're only

scratching at the surface of. now, there will be some purists that might think that there's too much technology in the sport and want it to get back to driver against driver and not have so many driver aids, for example. what's your view on that? well, the data just enables us to make better informed decisions. but at the end of the day, our biggest variable is the driver. and, uh, you know, the driver still has an immensely important role to play. and you can see, you know, the variance in drivers that there are. um, so the driver is a key differentiator. and it's finding that balance between, you know, being a pure driver competition and a technology. and the two are having to merge. you know, we can't do it without our drivers. ann the driver ultimately makes a difference as we have with max verstappen. do you see a day when formula one moves away from fossil fuels? well, i think going to, you know, the sustainable fuels that we are in �*26

is a big step. and i think it's interesting for the fuel companies. they're all investing, you know, significantly in it. and i think going to a fully sustainable fuel carves out an interesting path for the future. so you don't see a day when it will compete with formula e or go down the electric route? yeah, i think that formula one is taking a mixed route. we're going to a 50% electrification in 2026, 50% combustion, but with this fully sustainable fuel. so it's sort of blending the two aspects together, um, without removing the emotion of the sound of a combustion engine. yeah, which is key for a lot of fans. well, ithink, you know, sound is one of the key, uh, the key assets of going to a motor race. it'd be a little bit like going to a rock concert, you know, but with the volume turned down. um, so i think it's part of the dna of motorsport is, you know, is the noise. you've had quite a, let's say a tumultuous year, um,

compared to the years previous. um, just wanted to get your thoughts on that and how you're sort of moving on from that and looking forward. so i think, you know, as a team, you know, we're well positioned, very well positioned for the future. we continue to invest in young talent and develop that talent. and i think there's an ethos that runs through our team that is hugely, hugely competitive. and i think that's why as a subsidiary of an energy drink, we've been able to go on and beat the likes of ferrari and mercedes and other automotive manufacturers. um, and you know, it's that, you know, dna that sits within the team that drives us forward. and i'm convinced, particularly as we look at introducing our own engine in 2026, which will be a massive milestone for the company. now, you've been in charge of red bull for many years. has this year been a tough yearfor you personally from a leadership point of view, going through these changes, losing someone

senior like adrian newey, the allegations that you faced, which have been cleared? when you come off the back of a season like last year where we absolutely dominated, of course, um, you know, to match that was always going to be impossible. but, uh, ithink, you know, as a team, um, you know, we focussed on the basics. ithink that, um, you know, inevitably, uh, our competitors have looked to capitalise on, uh, you know, any opportunity that becomes available to them. but what i'm particularly proud of is the way that the core of the team has really stuck together. and next year wwill be, uh, nearly 20 years that and next year will be, uh, nearly 20 years that you've been with red bull, is that right? yeah, i mean, i came in at the beginning and it's been, you know, a huge journey so far. but in this business, you never get a chance to really reflect on the past. and, you know, we've won over,

i think, 120 grand prix's now and 13 world championships so far in that 20 years. so we've achieved a lot in a very short space of time. um, but i'm the type of person that is only looking forward. um, so for me, it's about the next 20 years. what do they hold in store? british airways has cancelled all its flights from the uk's southampton airport in the summer of 2025. it did not give a reason for the decision. the airline said affected customers will be contacted with options, including rebooking on alternative flights — or receiving a full refund. and that's it for this edition of business today. thanks for watching.

hello, and welcome to sports today, i'm karthi gnanasegaram. a dramatic late draw between the champions and challengers as macnhester city and arsenal share the points barcelona's brilliant start continues as they make it six wins out of six in la liga and carlos alcaraz helps team europe edge team world to win tennis's laver cup for the first time in three years we're starting with the premier league, where there was a thrilling game at etihad stadium. john stones scored deep into stoppage time to salvage a point for manchester city as they were held to a 2—2 draw