World Business Report
Analysis of the big global business and economic issues, as they affect consumers and investors. Broadcast on weekdays.
Nepal’s first female PM faces many economic challenges
Many Nepali businesses were closed during deadly anti-corruption protests, which toppled the government and saw its first female interim prime minister appointed. We look at India’s trade negotiations with the European Union and the United States. Plus, we hear from a South Korean worker caught up in immigration raids in…
Albania appoints AI-created minister
Albania appoints a minister to root out corruption, but is it just a PR stunt or could it really make a difference to how the county is run? We speak to Albania’s Prime Minister, Edi Rama, about the new appointment. We also ask whether funding for the Eurovision Song Contest…
Detained Hyundai employees fly to South Korea
More than 300 South Koreans who were arrested in the raid in the Hyundai plant in Georgia have now been released from detention and flown to their country. And how can this affect the economic relations between both countries? London's underground rail system – the Tube – has been closed…
Mexico to impose 50 percent tariffs on Chinese cars
Mexico plans to increase tariffs on vehicles from China and other Asian countries to 50 percent. We speak to a former Mexican trade official about why President Sheinbaum is making this move and what it could mean for businesses and consumers. We have the latest on the fallout from the…
Larry Ellison is the world’s richest person for brief period
US tech billionaire Larry Ellison becomes the world’s richest person for a brief period after shares in his business Oracle soars in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange. We examine how he briefly overtook Elon Musk. We are in Mexico City to hear about protests about the increasing…
EU chief says Europe must fight for its future
In her annual State of the Union address, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has told the European Parliament it needs to regain its independence and bolster its defence capabilities in a 'hostile' world. Also, Danish company Novo Nordisk, the maker of weight-loss drugs Wegovy and Ozempic, has announced…
Is the US economy weaker than expected?
The number of jobs created in the United States has been revised down. Not as many people got jobs as expected during the last months of Joe Biden's presidency and the first months of Donald Trump's return to the White House. It suggests the world's largest economy is weaker than…
Africa's largest hydro-electric dam transforming the economy?
Ethiopia opens a power project it thinks could transform its economy. We'll hear from the project manager at the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Also, new electric car batteries that promise to end your range anxiety, and power up our EVs in super quick time... Also, how to reduce the cost…
French MPs bid farewell to François Bayrou
France's political crisis has deepened with the government being toppled in the National Assembly through a no confidence vote. It forces prime minister François Bayrou to resign over plans to deal with the country's deficit by cutting public spending. Andrew Peach examines the family settlement confirming the long battle for…
French PM François Bayrou on the brink in crucial vote
The French prime minister, François Bayrou, is expected to be ousted in a confidence vote on Monday afternoon - which could lead to the collapse of his government. The Eurozones' second biggest economy is mired in debt - 114% of its annual economic output - and the prime minister has…
US immigration agents arrest workers at Hyundai plant
We're on the ground in the US state of Georgia where immigration agents have arrested nearly 500 people during a raid on a Hyundai battery-production facility. And, we'll break down the latest US jobs report, which showed hiring in America stalled last month. We'll explain what that means for the…
The economic hit of Afghanistan's earthquakes
Afghanistan is one of the world's poorest countries, and after its eastern region was hit by a level 6.0 earthquake killing thousands and displacing thousands more - we hear from Stephen Rodriques of the UN to find out the financial impact involved with rebuilding its infrastructure and supporting families who…
Trump's Fed nominee faces the senate committee
The US president's pick Stephen Miran is nominated to serve as governor of the central bank. Will he cut interest rates? The Italian fashion designer and billionaire brand owner Giorgio Armani has died at the age of 91. We hear from his former employee. Is it the end of the…
What's the impact of India's tax cuts?
The Indian government has announced massive tax cuts on items ranging from snacks and biscuits to electronic products and cars. But how will it affect the world's fastest growing major economy, and the businesses operating there? In the wake of Giorgio Armani's death at 91, Hannah Mullane speaks to author…
What’s fuelling the protests in Indonesia?
Nationwide protests have swept Indonesia this week, sparked by anger over police violence and government spending. In Jamaica, parliamentary elections are taking place. Roger Hearing finds out what's on voters minds. A Chilean drinks company is locked in a legal battle with actor Pedro Pascal over its brand name, ‘Pedro…
Why are government debts going up globally?
As government borrowing costs and debts rise around the world, we take a closer look at Japan, the UK and the US, and ask why? Hannah Mullane speaks to New Zealand's minister of immigration Erica Stanford as the Antipodean country plans to open up their housing market to foreign investors…
Is Washington DC a 'safe zone' for businesses?
US President Donald Trump says Washington DC is a 'safe space' after announcing he will send National Guard troops into Chicago . Do businesses agree? Elsewhere in the US, Google won a court case meaning it doesn’t have to sell its popular Chrome web browser. Russia and China are working…
Could China and Russia re-shape global energy?
With China and Russia agreeing to build a new gas pipeline through Siberia, we take a look at its global economic impact and what it could mean for the two countries as they become ever more reliant on each other. Elsewhere, Ed Butler discusses the economic forces driving the brutal…
Guyana Election: Oil boom and Venezuela tensions
Guyana, one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, votes for a new leader amid an oil boom and rising tensions with Venezuela. Swiss food giant Nestlé has sacked its CEO over his romantic relationship. Is the English Premier League in an inflation spiral? Roger Hearing investigates, as record-breaking transfer fees dominate…
Is any intervention to the Fed a global risk?
The head of the European Central Bank, Christine Lagarde, fears that any intervention by US president Donald Trump's administration into the Federal Reserve could have wider implications and be a global economic risk. We hear from Dr Yu Jie, of Chatham House, on the significance of today's summit between China,…