Bitcoin hitting record highs, the continuation of a rally that has been building for a couple of months. There are a couple of factors the mainstreaming of bitcoin. You may recall earlier this year regulators in the us open and investing opportunities attached to crypto currencies to more investors, and since then funds have been pouring into that. There was a report that huge figures have been raised. That has definitely increased things on the demand side. On the supply side, there is a 0n the supply side, there is a process called halving, part of the bitcoin protocol, only a certain number are issued, and once every four years, a reward for bitcoin miners, that number decreases. That may also have an impact on what investors think the supply will be. All of this i think you can safely say is leading to that craze for laser eyes, the meme that bitcoin fund is used when they are feeling optimistic about it. ~. , they are feeling optimistic about it. We will come back to it. Michelle. It. We will come back to it. Michelle, other it. We will come back to it. Michelle, other breaking i it. We will come back to it. I michelle, other Breaking News it. We will come back to it. Michelle, other Breaking News you are looking at global outage of facebook and instagram. Productivity must be soaring. Must be soaring. Users of Met Our S Suite of products, must be soaring. Users of Met Our S Suite of products, facebook must be soaring. Users of Met Our S Suite of products, facebook and suite of products, facebook and instagram, have reported problems logging in. On x, the company has posted that they know delete like there is an issue. They know there is an issue. They know there is an issue. They know there is an issue. We will bring you more news when we have it. Back to bitcoin, and more news when we have it. Back to bitcoin, and it more news when we have it. Back to bitcoin, and it hitting more news when we have it. Back to bitcoin, and it hitting that more news when we have it. Back to bitcoin, and it hitting that new bitcoin, and it hitting that new all time high. Lets talk to David Gerard Author of the book � attack of the 50 foot blockchain scams, drugs, crooks and cryptography. Fairto fair to say you are not a fan of bitcoin and crypto currencies in general what do you make of the development . General what do you make of the development . General what do you make of the development . Development . Really interesting. There is a lack development . Really interesting. There is a lack of development . Really interesting. There is a lack of Retail Development . Really interesting. There is a lack of Retail Dollars there is a lack of Retail Dollars coming in. They are the engine of any economic bubble. We have seen a lot of odd stuff happening in the bitcoin market, and it is completely unregulated. Price recovery happens in. If you have ever seen this industry as a bit of dodgy gamble, that would be a correct feeling. There are a lot of odd things happening with the price. When you see the price jump 3000 in the middle of the night, 2am new york time, that wont be etfs, which trades during stock market hours. There are a lot of questionable stable coins that may not be fully backed being issued and pumped into the markets. All the exchanges last week shutdown withdrawals simultaneously, including the large ones. Fair to sa that including the large ones. Fair to say that you including the large ones. Fair to say that you smell including the large ones. Fair to say that you smell a including the large ones. Fair to say that you smell a rat including the large ones. Fair to say that you smell a rat and including the large ones. Fair to say that you smell a rat and you including the large ones. Fair to say that you smell a rat and you are suspicious. You talk about investors being naive. Im sure a lot of investors out there feel pretty clever at the gains they have made. Money is pouring into these etfs at a rate of 2 billion a week, and it stands to reason that opening up this new manner of trading, Exchange Traded funds, will trigger a surge in prices because you open yourself up in prices because you open yourself up to a whole new swathe of investors who now see it as a safer investment, notwithstanding what others say about bitcoin, that it has no intrinsic value. 0pening it up has no intrinsic value. 0pening it up to etfs gives it a badge of respectability. It up to etfs gives it a badge of respectability. Up to etfs gives it a badge of respectability. It does, but it is not clear that respectability. It does, but it is not clear that fresh respectability. It does, but it is not clear that fresh dollars respectability. It does, but it is not clear that fresh dollars are | not clear that fresh dollars are coming in. It seems to be dollars moving from other parts of the ecosystem. For example, sell offs of the bitcoin miners, other companies that are tangential to bitcoin moving that money into etfs. We are not seeing fresh dollars coming in. That is not a thing we are seeing happen at all. The retail trade in bitcoin is surprisingly dead for such a large, headline grabbing numbers. ,. ,. ,. , numbers. Others out there share your views about numbers. Others out there share your views about bitcoin. Numbers. Others out there share your views about bitcoin. Us numbers. Others out there share your views about bitcoin. Us regulators views about bitcoin. Us regulators had to be dragged kicking and screaming into approving these etfs, and legal action force that moved. Do you think regulators and Central Banks should be shouting even louder about the risks they see with crypto in general . About the risks they see with crypto in ueneral . , ,. , about the risks they see with crypto in ueneral . ,. ,. , in general . Ultimately, if you are sellin in general . Ultimately, if you are selling peeple. In general . Ultimately, if you are selling people, you in general . Ultimately, if you are selling people, you can in general . Ultimately, if you are selling people, you can get in general . Ultimately, if you are selling people, you can get rich l in general . Ultimately, if you are. Selling people, you can get rich for free, that is a very attractive product, whether there is anything to it or not. At a certain point, the regulators can only say, this is trash, take care. You can stop people promoting things that are miss sold investments, but ultimately, if i want to set my money on fire, i can do so. We ultimately, if i want to set my money on fire, i can do so. All money on fire, i can do so. We can all do that money on fire, i can do so. We can all do that. David money on fire, i can do so. We can all do that. David gerard, money on fire, i can do so. We can all do that. David gerard, author. All do that. David gerard, author and critic of crypto, thank you for that. On to climate change, because the uk is being accused of lagging behind its european neighbours in green investment. According to climate campaigners greenpeace, since 2020, the uk has spent the least of all the top european economies on low carbon measures. Using data from the International Energy agency greenpeace found that italy topped the list for western europe, with spending totalling 111 Billion Dollars since 2020. The figure takes into Account Spending on everything from Electricity Networks to Energy Efficiency to Alternative Fuels and low carbon transport. Germany came in second with 92. 7 billion dollars, followed by france and spain. The uk was the lowest out of the top five, at 33. 3 billion. We put this to the uk Governments Department for Energy Security and net zero. A spokesperson told us this report fails to recognise our progress compared to european allies. We are the first major economy in the world to halve our emissions, and we have the second largest Renewables Capacity in europe. Earlier i spoke to Georgia Whittaker from greenpeace. I asked her what these figures mean for the uk. An absolutely massive disadvantage. It is quite clear that these numbers speak for themselves. We are utterly failing on the world stage to grasp the massive opportunities that come with net zero or green investment. Not only are the us and china leaving us in the dust in the race to green technology, we are clearly, as the numbers show, doing pretty badly in comparison to our european neighbours. 0bviously, badly in comparison to our european neighbours. Obviously, we have the Spring Budget coming up, which should be a massive opportunity, as well as this governments final fiscal event, to make the most of the 80 and commit to green spending measures. Instead it looks like he is flirting with tax cuts that will potentially disproportionately make sure that the wealthiest benefit as opposed to normal people, who would benefit from climate action. The price of gold has hit a three month high, driven by increased bets for a june Interest Rate cut by the us federal reserve. Spot gold was up 1. 4 , at around 2,11l1 per ounce, its highest since early december, when prices hit an all time high of 2,135. Tesla has halted production at its car factory in berlin after a suspected arson attack nearby. It has warned it wont restart this week, costing the firm 100 million euros. An Electricity Pylon close to the plant caught fire, causing Power Outages in the factory and nearby towns. Environmental activists who have been protesting against the sites expansion have denied responsibility for the fire. That is your business update. Around the world and across the uk, this is bbc news. Im alex james, the front man of the uks first Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy fronted rock band. To shed Muscular Dystrophy is a row, life limiting, muscle wasting condition. In terms of being a front man and having in terms of being a front man and having this in terms of being a front man and having this disability, how does that make your experience of Playing Music that make your experience of Playing Music different from every other front music different from every other front man . | music different from every other front man . Front man . I would say a lot of factors come front man . I would say a lot of factors come into front man . I would say a lot of factors come into this front man . I would say a lot of factors come into this because | factors come into this because access is one of the main things. I have to contact venues directly, so when we do our headline gig at the independent in sunderland, for example, we will have to use an telling use an air foot example, we will have to use an telling use an airfoot pump to get up onto the stage. Pare telling use an air foot pump to get up onto the stage. Get up onto the stage. Are you lookin get up onto the stage. Are you looking forward get up onto the stage. Are you looking forward to get up onto the stage. Are you looking forward to it . Get up onto the stage. Are you looking forward to it . Very get up onto the stage. Are you l looking forward to it . Very much get up onto the stage. Are you looking forward to it . Very much so, eah. Looking forward to it . Very much so, yeah there looking forward to it . Very much so, yeah there are looking forward to it . Very much so, yeah. There are not looking forward to it . Very much so, yeah. There are not many looking forward to it . Very much so, yeah. There are not many electric. Yeah. There are not many electric wheelchair front men like me. Youre live with bbc news. Hes One Of The BestKnown Bangladeshis In The World a Nobel Prize Winner who is credited for Microfinance Loans that helped Lift Millions out of poverty. But at the start of this year, a court in dhaka sentenced Muhammad Yunus to six months for violating labour laws. He denies the charges. Over the weekend, the court has extended his bail, but yunus could face jail anytime if convicted of almost 200 other charges. As he fights to avoid jail, world leaders, including former president 0bama, former un secretary general ban ki moon and more than 100 Nobel Peace Prize winners, have appealed to the Bangladeshi Government to drop the cases. Nobel laureate and the founder of grameen bank professor Muhammad Yunus joins us now from dhaka. Welcome to bbc news. Mr yunus the authorities in bangladesh so you are guilty of violating labour laws and that is why they say they have these charges against you. What do you say to that . ~. , � ,. , charges against you. What do you say to that . ~. , � ,. ,. , to that . Well, thats not the only charie. I to that . Well, thats not the only charge i was to that . Well, thats not the only charge. I was convicted, to that . Well, thats not the only charge. I was convicted, spent i to that . Well, thats not the only| charge. I was convicted, spent six months in prison, and i am on bail right now. The last one, the big one, is an Anti Corruption case for money laundering, forgery, cheating. You name it, iam money laundering, forgery, cheating. You name it, i am the worst criminal in the country right now, according to these cases. This all comes because our Prime Minister somehow doesnt like me. For a long time, it is not recent. It started way back in 2011. They said i was over the age that i should be working. It is age that i should be working. It is a government rule. I tried to explain that this is not a Government Bank but a bank owned by the poor women. 97 of the shares of grameen bank is owned by the account holders. I was called a bloodsucker on the poor people, that i destroy their lives. She keeps repeating that and has even said. I would like to ask that and has even said. I would like to ask you that and has even said. I would like to ask you why that and has even said. I would like to ask you why you that and has even said. I would like to ask you why you think that and has even said. I would like to ask you why you think all| like to ask you why you think all these charges have been levelled against you if you say you are not guilty of any of them. I against you if you say you are not guilty of any of them. Guilty of any of them. I cannot answer that. Guilty of any of them. I cannot answer that. I guilty of any of them. I cannot answer that. I can guilty of any of them. I cannot answer that. I can only guilty of any of them. I cannot j answer that. I can only answer guilty of any of them. I cannot answer that. I can only answer that because she doesnt like me, she wants to punish me, wants to make sure my life is traumatised so that i cannot function in a proper way. She has to explain why she does that, why she calls me a bloodsucker, why she invites everyone to dunk me in the river twice and tells me im the enemy of the nation and so on. This is all coming from the same kind of accusations she has been making over years. This is the culmination of them. Now i am sentenced to six months injail already. More months and years probably coming in with the Anti Corruption commission cases, where i will be sentenced to jail for a cases, where i will be sentenced to jailfor a longer period. As cases, where i will be sentenced to jail for a longer period. Jail for a longer period. As we were sa ini jail for a longer period. As we were sa in in jail for a longer period. As we were saying in the jail for a longer period. As we were saying in the introduction, jail for a longer period. As we were saying in the introduction, your saying in the introduction, your plight has had the support of some very high profile figures. A number of people, including barack 0bama and ban ki moon, Signing ThatjointLetter Denouncing what they described as your continuous judicial harassment. Also a number of senators early in the year wrote a Letter Calling for what they described as the end to a pattern of abusing the Justice System to target critics of the government. Do you believe that you have been targeted like the senators say because you have been outspoken about the Bangladeshi Government . Im have been outspoken about the Bangladeshi Government . Im not as outsoken Bangladeshi Government . Im not as outspoken as Bangladeshi Government . Im not as outspoken as i Bangladeshi Government . Im not as outspoken as i should Bangladeshi Government . Im not as outspoken as i should be. Bangladeshi government . Im not as outspoken as i should be. People outspoken as i should be. People here are not open to speak their mind, so i have to be very careful what i say, because then i will be accused of many other things in the process. Even then, you have to speak out a little bit. And process. Even then, you have to speak out a little bit. Speak out a little bit. And what comes next . Speak out a little bit. And what comes next . Will speak out a little bit. And what comes next . Will you speak out a l