china hits back — beijing calls donald trump's tariffs "discriminatory and protectionist" as new and is the party over? as the night time economy summit gets underway, we start in the uk where the bank of england is almost in over 18 months.

this would be the third cut in interest rates since the the inflation rate fell to 2.5% in the year to december. we spoke to a head of economics research at st james this

she f shetold "eh'e'téld’fii; " eh'e'thd’ee; whét' " " féh'e'thd’e; what’shem” " eh'e'tgldfi; wagging" i think everyone is. it would be a very big surprise if the bank of england didn't. they did their last meeting. to vote for a cut today, i think. as we've explained, the uk economy is in a difficult spot. yes. which has been very flat over the last few months — more importantly, core inflation, that's much higher. this kind of dilemma — do they support growth or do

they keep interest rates high because of inflation still being high? their willingness to support growth despite but the outlook is far from clear. a big factor and a big learning by doing, the bank of england. can to boost growth. what is your outlook beyond april for our economy, of future rate cuts? relatively slow growth. we don't think a recession

is our base case. but, you know, the chancellor does have an issue where the fiscal headroom that she had announced interest rates — market interest rates, so there's less tax revenue. so she will be under pressure to at least she's very clear — the chances are very

and i think for the economy as a whole, that kind of fiscal i know economists are often guilty of that. you know, with interest rates edging lower, we've seen credit conditions and credit availability by banks has been there is more detail about that decision on �*website and the news app and we will be bbc news app and we will be across :: by the across any announcement by the bank of england may date here on bbc beijing has struck back by filing a complaint with a violation of trade rules. percent tariffs against china. and the dispute comes as data shows record high

deficit even further. after us president donald trump raised border taxes on chinese goods by 10% — a measure he said was intended allegations about its role in the fentanyl trade on february the 10th. china ranked as the country with the biggest deficit

into the us than it purchased. at which point china has the right to request chance of progressing. the appointment of newjudges.

yeah, i'm not a bit surprised about the china wto filing. broken for some time. china... and i mean never — going back to the early 2000s. nations, and that includes seven out of the top ten wealthiest economies. which essentially mean that the wto can't adjudicate i think, in order to continue to try to press a united states advantage that china —

you know, from the way in terms of the the spat that's emerged this week between the us and china. president trump said he's in no rush now to speak to president xi. conversation this week. of course, he did that with justin trudeau i think what's going to happen is the tariffs are in place, so there's a signal there.

approach to china. the tariffs are part of the stick, there's — you know, they got favoured treatment at the inauguration. a little bit, but it should be understood that this is far more than it is about trade. and trump is seeking an opening that tries to advance the geopolitical agenda here that the united states has.

well, i think they're marginally negative. perspective, what the united states sees as an opportunity to kind of press an advantage — us economic exceptionalism — and that exceptionalism let's get some of the day's other news now. to scrap its goals to recruit more workers from underrepresented groups.the decision to abandon the diversity, equity, and inclusion — or dei — recruitment targets comes

after the company carried the technology giant is also reviewing some of its other dei programmes. while increasing oil and gas production. chief executive anders 0pedal said that the transition to lower carbon energy was moving slower than

seoul's industry ministry has temporarily security concerns.

company making waves. tiktok, capcut, shein, temu, byd, dji, huawei — you name it, chinese technology is everywhere. from the world's factory to the world's innovator. joe tidy has this report. the rise of chinese ai chatbot deepseek has taken the world by storm. but it's part of a wider trend. chinese apps are rising up the charts around the world.

of motoring, selling more than any other country, a lot of this success comes from china being the world's and solar panels — china's responsible for an estimated 80% to 95% of the global supply chain. renewable energy will be generated in china. in drones, too, china rules the skies. well, it's all part of a long—term plan.

made in china 2025. with the leading edge — and in some industries, china even leading. than 250 mini goals. 86% of them have been ticked off. with progress set to get even worse thanks to more sanctions and controls. and japan have also launched counter—plans, too.

plenty of patience. the largest gathering of the night—time economy community is taking place this week in birmingham at a crucial for some time in the face of rising operational costs and a decrease in consumer spending. new data released from the the night nightlife venues since 2020, and they warn that upcoming tax on the programme. they have, and there are certain cliff edges that we are definitely facing. edge is the big one, the national insurance wage, and the reduction is without a doubt focused, a focused position which is

in business rates relief concerning many, many people particularly from our sector because it is going within the business community, so, what are you hoping for? make break, could it? without a doubt. without a doubt. i think there are business critical decisions that are going to be made right across the country in without further intervention we know that there is still fine signs and recognition a faltering position, that there are challenges to see this and possibly look at reversing some still a lot of work to do, but the future is looking very uncertain at the moment uncertain at the moment without further intervention or considerations around

the budgetary output is going to be fundamental for many people on whether they progress forward or whether they drop out of the industry. you're not the only industry body that is calling for changes from the chancellor. uk hospitality is among them as well because of these changes that will happen in april. you want her to revert to some of those decisions. if that is unlikely, would staggering them help? i think we've really got to consider where the vulnerabilities are. we know that 70% of our sector is made up of independent businesses, small medium enterprise businesses, and we have been pushing the chancellor to reallyjust consider the impact across the board, particularly for cultural output businesses, grassroots spaces, etc. so i think there is a lot of work that needs to be considered, potentially around some of those focus areas, to allow them to sort of sustain and get through. but they just need

the financial headroom. the governmentjust don't recognise the immediate

bbc verify�*s nick eardley has spoken to international law into the riviera of the middle east? the us will take over the gaza strip and we we will own it. this is the area we are talking about, the strip the short answer is the experts

we spoke to think such a plan of force is illegal. members agreed to refrain in international relations integrity or political independence of any state. meaningless. it's hard to see a situation in which donald trump could get agreement from leaders in gaza. including the us and uk. hamas made it clear they won't agree to a takeover, calling the plan ridiculous. authority which governs part of the occupied west bank.

the leaders currently say no. the geneva convention, a set of international laws, prohibit here is article 49. territories. regardless of their motive. it's a violation of rules which have been created by states, and it is a violation of international agreements which prohibit the forced displacement of people. it's also not clear where any

displaced people would go. egypt and other nearby countries, but arab there is little sign of that today — the un a two state solution which would involve which us aid programmes should remain running, interest of the us. thousands of agency employees are set to be placed on leave

with the exception of those involved in "mission—critical functions". recalled on friday night. protestors gathered on capitol hill to protest the shutdown of us aid. development is a gift to china, it's a gift to russia, it's a gift to our adversaries around the world. you talk to american military leaders, they will tell of our overall foreign policy and national security strategy. now it's time for a look at the weather. hello, there. eififi ef§ssef§ $3??? 7 ”w”

close tojupiter as we close out wednesday. is going to be a chilly start away from the far northwest — both the frost and the fog will lift away, and for many, more of a breeze down through the south—east could drive in through essex and kent. but all in all, a dry, settled day for many, and temperatures recovering after that frosty start — 7—9 degrees. to see the isobars squeeze

together a little. direction, a cooler source — but it will drive to the far northwest. starting to develop, it will push in some down towards cornwall. as we go through friday. so temperatures sitting at around 5—7, maybe 8 degrees, of extra layers, i suspect — probably feeling close into the start of the weekend, well, we are likely to continue there's still the risk of a few sharp showers around from time to time, and in the south—east,

some of those could be wintry in nature, as it's staying cold. but the quiet theme on the whole is likely to stay with us. and don't forget, if you want more details for your area — well, download the bbc weather app and you can find hourly details here. take care.

the white house tries to clarify president trump's proposal that the us take over the gaza strip and remove the palestinian population.

meanwhile, president trump signs an executive a new lawsuit has been filed against the us rapper sean diddy combs as he awaits trial on charges and an environmentally friendly meaty treat — the palestinian population. relocating its residents.