the devastating consequences from the politically charged war in the gaza strip spills over into into the business community. plus, travellers continue to spend big, undeterred plus, travellers continue to spend big, undeterred by the high cost of living. we ask why, and where. hello and welcome to asia business report. i m steve lai. we begin this hour with the war in middle east. in the months since hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented assault on israel in october, killing more than 1,000 people, the death toll on both sides have continued to rise. more than 21,000 people have been killed in the gaza strip by israeli bombardments, the consequences have now spilt over to businesses, as customers in the middle east and elsewhere boycott companies for their perceived support of israel. from new york, the bbc s michelle fleury reports. major western brands have found themselves hit by a grassroots