0:00:15 > 0:00:17I'm Ceila Hatton with BBC News.
0:00:17 > 0:00:19Our top story:
0:00:19 > 0:00:21President Trump pushes ahead with his metal tariff's plan.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25There are fears the plans could spark a trade war.
0:00:25 > 0:00:27Mr Trump wants China to reduce its trade imbalance
0:00:28 > 0:00:29with the United States by $1 billion.
0:00:29 > 0:00:33A private message is on its way from North Korea to the US.
0:00:33 > 0:00:35The undisclosed communication from Kim Jong-un was given
0:00:35 > 0:00:37to diplomatic envoys from South Korea on Monday.
0:00:37 > 0:00:44And this video is trending on bbc.com.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47An amazing escape from an avalanche captured on a helmet camera worn
0:00:47 > 0:00:51by Thomas Kray while he was on the Alpine slopes at Tignes.
0:00:51 > 0:00:52Thomas was saved activating an avalanche airbag.
0:00:53 > 0:01:03It allowed him to escape being buried.
0:01:03 > 0:01:04That's all from me for now.
0:01:04 > 0:01:11Stay with BBC News.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13And the top story here in the UK:
0:01:13 > 0:01:16British police say a nerve agent was used in a deliberate attempt
0:01:16 > 0:01:18to kill a former Russian spy and his daughter.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Sergei and Yulia Skripal remain in a critical condition in hospital.
0:01:21 > 0:01:29Now on BBC News, all the latest business news live from Singapore.
0:01:29 > 0:01:34President Trump is expected to go ahead with new controversial tariffs
0:01:34 > 0:01:40within the next day, but could Canada and Mexico be exempt? And on
0:01:40 > 0:01:46International Women's Day, we ask if gender equality and pay are a
0:01:46 > 0:01:50distant dream or something achievable.
0:01:50 > 0:01:56distant dream or something achievable. Good morning, and
0:01:56 > 0:02:01welcome to Asia Business Report, live from Singapore. It is still all
0:02:01 > 0:02:07about trade this morning. And Donald Trump's trade war could start today.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12That is if you believed in reports the president will sign off on
0:02:12 > 0:02:15controversial tariffs on steel and aluminium
0:02:15 > 0:02:18controversial tariffs on steel and aluminium. Other industries are not
0:02:18 > 0:02:26sure this is a good idea. We have more from New York. Brooklyn very is
0:02:26 > 0:02:28used to focusing on its
0:02:35 > 0:02:41but the company is increasingly worried about it brewing trade war,
0:02:41 > 0:02:45especially because it makes more than 50% of its profits by exporting
0:02:45 > 0:02:58a certain type of liquor.It will increase costs tremendously. If a
0:02:58 > 0:03:02trade war begins, that is very dangerous for companies like ours.
0:03:02 > 0:03:10In this company isn't alone. Across the United States, businesses are
0:03:10 > 0:03:12struggling to figure out the potential impact President Trump's
0:03:12 > 0:03:19tariffs could have on their bottom line. The uncertainty stems not so
0:03:19 > 0:03:23much from steel and aluminium imports, but rather what could
0:03:23 > 0:03:27happen in a trade war. Already, the European Union has threatened to
0:03:27 > 0:03:33slap tariffs on everything from American bourbon to motorcycles.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Some say that is a small price to pay.You will talk to some people in
0:03:38 > 0:03:43export sectors and they will be worried. I do not doubt it will
0:03:43 > 0:03:49happen. But at an economy wide level, this will not have meaningful
0:03:49 > 0:03:56impact.The US trade deficit hit a nine-year high this week, offering
0:03:56 > 0:04:01further motivation for President Trump in his American first trade
0:04:01 > 0:04:06policy.When we are down by 100 billion, the trade war hurts them,
0:04:06 > 0:04:12it does not hurt us.That is the problem with trade wars, there is
0:04:12 > 0:04:16always someone who gets hurt. And it is not easy to guess who that is
0:04:16 > 0:04:22going to be. BBC News, Brooklyn. As you just heard in that report,
0:04:22 > 0:04:27President Trump seems rather fixated on the trade deficit and how he
0:04:27 > 0:04:33wants to reduce it. New figures show the gap rose to the highest level in
0:04:33 > 0:04:38more than nine years in January, coming in at over 55 billion US
0:04:38 > 0:04:43dollars. He will not be happy about that, and will probably use it to
0:04:43 > 0:04:49justify the move to impose those tariffs despite backlash. We told
0:04:49 > 0:04:53you yesterday the EU was having a meeting about these tariffs and how
0:04:53 > 0:04:58to respond. The trade chief has set up plans to retaliate, including
0:04:58 > 0:05:02higher import duties on bourbon, peanut butter, cranberries, orange
0:05:02 > 0:05:04juice, steel, and industrial products. You cannot get more
0:05:04 > 0:05:11American than that. The commission says a trade war has no winners and
0:05:11 > 0:05:16if it can be avoided, they will work with the Americans and other allies
0:05:16 > 0:05:22on the issue of overcapacity. Remember, President Trump abandoned
0:05:22 > 0:05:24a huge trade deal Colebee Trans-Pacific Partnership shortly
0:05:24 > 0:05:31after taking office. -- called the. The remaining members will formally
0:05:31 > 0:05:39sign a deal in Chile. In other business news making headlines,
0:05:39 > 0:05:42China is moving a step closer to putting measures in place to curb
0:05:42 > 0:05:48runaway home prices. It is a potential game-changer for the real
0:05:48 > 0:05:54estate industry, which some analysts have called, quotes, too bit to
0:05:54 > 0:05:59fail. Washington has been leading the charge to ramp up international
0:05:59 > 0:06:03pressure on North Korea. Now, India is cutting back on trade with
0:06:03 > 0:06:09Pyongyang, but it is maintaining diplomatic ties. For more on this, I
0:06:09 > 0:06:15am joined by a business reporter from Mumbai. How much do India and
0:06:15 > 0:06:22North Korea trade to begin with? Well, surprisingly, a lot. In 2015
0:06:22 > 0:06:28and 2016, according to Indian government data, India was North
0:06:28 > 0:06:33Korea's third-largest trading partner after Russia and China.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38India exported around $111 million of goods and important $88 million
0:06:38 > 0:06:43worth of goods from Pyongyang. That has reduced slightly because last
0:06:43 > 0:06:49April, India aligned itself with UN sanctions and said that it would not
0:06:49 > 0:06:53trade with North Korea any more besides food and medicine. Is latest
0:06:53 > 0:06:58sanctions, trade barriers, are related to some equipment,
0:06:58 > 0:07:13electrical equipment, wood, and farm products. -- these. It is
0:07:13 > 0:07:16interesting because the relationship has been growing over the last few
0:07:16 > 0:07:21years, but finally India has listened and is clamping down on
0:07:21 > 0:07:27trade with North Korea.Why now? We are now hearing reports the tensions
0:07:27 > 0:07:31between North Korea and the rest of the world seemed to be coming down.
0:07:31 > 0:07:38Yeah, well, there is a lot in it for India. By doing this, it improves
0:07:38 > 0:07:44its relationship with South Korea and the United States. That opens up
0:07:44 > 0:07:48its diplomatic standing internationally. And also, it
0:07:48 > 0:07:52attracts investment into India. And we saw that with South Korea
0:07:52 > 0:07:59agreeing to build a $1.1 billion factory in Andhra Pradesh in India
0:07:59 > 0:08:04last year. There is a lot in it in India as far as investment and
0:08:04 > 0:08:08military and diplomatic relations go as well.Thank you so much for the
0:08:08 > 0:08:15update. It is International Women's Day. In the business world, we are
0:08:15 > 0:08:19starting to see some women at the top of big companies. But it is
0:08:19 > 0:08:23still a very small percentage, making it a super niche club. So,
0:08:23 > 0:08:32what does it take to be the next female leader? We caught up with
0:08:32 > 0:08:36several female bosses in Asia to ask about their journey.The most
0:08:36 > 0:08:42irrelevant question...The most irrelevant questions I got...What
0:08:42 > 0:08:49irrelevant question? Hmm...
0:08:57 > 0:09:03Hard work, integrity, and, umm, perseverance. You just have to keep
0:09:03 > 0:09:09on trying.Followed your passion. Take every opportunity. -- follow.
0:09:09 > 0:09:15And try not to get into situations where you feel compromise.If you
0:09:15 > 0:09:23are not sure you want to rise to the top, there is no one to help you,
0:09:23 > 0:09:29just remember you have to motivate yourself.There is no doubt my
0:09:29 > 0:09:32career path would have been different if I were a man. Women
0:09:32 > 0:09:37face all sorts of challenges, big and small, throughout their career.
0:09:37 > 0:09:43Looking after children, managing sexist attitudes, filling a need to
0:09:43 > 0:09:53prove ourselves constantly. -- feeling.The good old boys' club is
0:09:53 > 0:10:00in the co-ordinated. -- old-fashioned. Now we share a
0:10:00 > 0:10:08vision.The most irrelevant question would he, you know, you reach a
0:10:08 > 0:10:14stage being a woman, and it has no correlation.How do I manage time
0:10:14 > 0:10:19between family and business? As a single parent, that is. It is
0:10:19 > 0:10:26irrelevant because it puts emphasis on me being a single mother when, in
0:10:26 > 0:10:31fact, it actually applies to men as well.There is a greater tendency
0:10:31 > 0:10:36for people to question your commitment to the job as a result of
0:10:36 > 0:10:42being a woman, and that is something that really sticks in our craw. We
0:10:42 > 0:10:48tend to be incredibly efficient and focused because we need to go off
0:10:48 > 0:10:52and do other things.And an interesting development from the
0:10:52 > 0:10:58biggest hotel chain in India. They have announced new plans to pay for
0:10:58 > 0:11:01female staff to undergo fertility treatment if they need or want it.
0:11:01 > 0:11:07They said they would reimburse expenses for family action as part
0:11:07 > 0:11:11of a policy to keep female employees in their company and promote equal
0:11:11 > 0:11:17opportunities. A look at the markets before we go. And other volatile
0:11:17 > 0:11:21session on Wall Street. We are seeing mixed reaction in Asia. Japan
0:11:21 > 0:11:37is up and Australia is down. One stock is Nikko. They are cutting
0:11:37 > 0:11:414000 jobs in Europe. The economy expanded more than expected. That
0:11:41 > 0:11:46could be helping Japan's Nikkei today. That is it