at the age of 80, mr biden is already the oldest holder of the office in history. we will have more reaction to that announcement. and described as the king of calypso the legendary singer and campaigner harry belafonte has died aged 96. sport now and a full round up from the bbc sport centre. hello from the bbc sport centre. we start with snooker and ronnie 0 sullivan made his 100th appearance at the crucible this morning as he continues his bid for a record eighth title he s playing belgian luca brecel in the quarterfinals. it was brecel who took the first frame but 0 sullivan responded in style, taking six of the next seven frames to lead at the end of the first session. 0n the other table, mark allen has fought back from 3 1 down againstjakjones to pull the scores level it s four frames each at the interval. so let s cross live to the crucible now. a battle between two four time champions. they ve met at the crucible five times before this is a repeat of the
slower demand for consumer goods, rising borrowing costs and constant talk of a global recession, have not gone unnoticed by the manufacturing sector, which is currently experiencing acute challenges balancing supply and avoiding over production. january data from many of the world s key economies will be unveiled later giving the earliest signs of how the global economy is faring. many economists will be looking for risks of recession and any pricing trends. fhaheen khan is senior economist with make uk the manufacturers organisation that represents 20,000 companies of all sizes. good to have you on the programme. wejust heard good to have you on the programme. we just heard from japan and you said many countries are coming out with pmi data say showing that the manufacturing shrank for a third row that make months in a row injapan. export third row that make months in a row in japan. export weakness is seen as persistent at the moment and that is the concern, isn t it, righ
in gaza every day as israel continues its bombardment of the territory. speaking at the un security council, catherine russell said the numbers sourced from gaza s hamas controlled health ministry should shake council members to the core. israel says it is targeting hamas, which is designated as a terrorist organisation by the uk and other governments, following the attacks of october 7th that killed moo people and saw more than 200 taken hostage. israel s prime minister benjamin netanyahu has rejected calls for a ceasefire in gaza but ms russell urged the security council to press for one. i implore the security council to immediately adopt a resolution that reminds parties of their obligations under international law. it calls for a ceasefire that demands parties allow safe and unimpeded humanitarian access, demands immediate and safe release of all of the children and all parties to four children the special protection to which they are entitled stop. live now to amman whe
and lower consumer confidence are to blame. our business editor simonjack has been to cardiff to talk to small businesses about the financial pressures they re facing. going, going gone. this wine merchant is picking up the last of the stock as he shuts down his business. 2023 shaping up to be a little shop of horrors. the number of companies in critical financial distress up caught in the last three months and this year is expected to see business failures than any since the crisis of 2009. i realised the shot wasn t valid anymore, i had to close the shop i went back online where i started originally but there was not the same, not the same spending power in the markets i could not make ends meet, i could not make ends meet, i could not make ends meet, i could not pay my suppliers or myself and the additional cost. that s when i realised it was not a valid business. insolvency experts say thousands of other business owners may find themselves in the same boat. it owners may