we start with the latest market action and as the trading day began in asia the pound started to slide down nearly 5% at one point against the us dollar that s on top of the 3.6% dive on friday. investors are running for the exits as fears mount the new government s shock and awe tax plans for the uk economy are too big a gamble. on friday the chancellor, kwasi kwarteng, announced historic tax cuts, and the biggest increase in borrowing since 1972 to pay for them. there is now calls for the bank of england to take emergency action to calm rattled markets and bolster sterling. so let s look at how the pound is trading now. it has been hovering around just over $1.05 but one hour ago we were looking at the pound buying $1.03 so it has recovered a tiny bit but not much and you can see that the markets in asia are fairly mixed and we have the price of oil edging lower as well. joining me now is simon french, chief economist at panmure gordon. is at panmure gordon. this what
the world s leading producer and exporter of cotton now has to import cotton, making the local industry uncompetitive. 0ur india business correspondent archana shukla reports. swamps and waterlogged fields. this is what is remaining of many cotton fields in nagpur, in central india, as unprecedented heavy rains wash out miles of farmland in the cotton growing belts. wading through the sludge, farmers like raj jyoti are struggling to save whatever crop that remains. translation: the crop is not growing. pesticides are also getting washed away by rains. the cotton yield this year will be less than 50%. we won t even