Brexit talks stall prompting a meeting for later this week, between the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and the British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. We will hear what is at stake for both sides with analysis from Carsten Brzeski, from ING in Frankfurt. We will also consider the future of Venezuela, after President Maduro and his allies won political control, but the standoff with countries like the United States continues. Eileen Gavin, a Latin America analyst with t...
Dec 08, 2020•52 min
US President Donald Trump accepts that the formal transition to Joe Biden's White House can finally begin and it's reported that Mr Biden will nominate Janet Yellen, a former head of the Federal Reserve, as his Treasury secretary - we hear from Samira Hussain, our American Business Correspondent. There's more good news on the coronavirus vaccines front as it's announced that the AstraZeneca/Oxford trials could be almost as effective as two other vaccines already shown to work. There's growing ev...
Nov 24, 2020•52 min
The chief executives of Facebook, Twitter, and Google have faced intense grilling from senators over Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, which protects web companies from liability when it comes to content posted by users. Rebecca Klar, a reporter with The Hill in Washington D.C., gives us the highlights. Also in the programme, financial markets have tumbled around the world for a second day this week amid concerns that a rise in coronavirus cases will hurt still tentative economic re...
Oct 29, 2020•53 min
With just a week to go until the US election, we’ll hear how the Biden and Trump campaigns are getting their final pitches in. Also in the programme, the elite Central Committee of China’s ruling Communist Party is meeting behind closed doors over four days to create the economic blueprint for world's second biggest economy. Meanwhile, a Hong Kong activist has been detained by plain-clothed police officers near the US consulate, before reportedly attempting to claim asylum. And the cinema busine...
Oct 28, 2020•53 min
Turkey's president calls for a boycott on French products - but do they work to stifle business, especially when driven by political or religious reasons? Plus, Japan has set itself an ambitious target to cut its harmful gas emissions to zero by 2050. We assess if they can do it. Cinemas are set to reopen in India, and we look at what it means for the Bollywood film industry, which has suffered hugely from halted productions during the coranavirus pandemic. We discuss all this with guests Tawnel...
Oct 27, 2020•54 min
The President's nominee Amy Coney Barrett says she is 'honoured and humbled' to have been chosen by Donald Trump for a place in the US's top court. After the first day of confirmation hearings, we speak to Ilya Shapiro, director at the Robert A. Levy Center for Constitutional Studies' Cato Institute and author of Supreme Disorder: Judicial Nominations and the Politics of America's Highest Court. Stanford University game theorists Paul Milgrom and Robert Wilson have won the 2020 Nobel Economics P...
Oct 13, 2020•52 min
After a controversial debate between President Trump and candidate Biden last week, Vice President Pence and candidate Kamala Harris are set to face off in Utah. Emily Means, a reporter with KUER Public Radio in Utah, tells us what to expect at the debate in Salt Lake City. Also in the programme, President Trump's administration has unveiled a tightening of rules for H-1B visas, which allow tens of thousands of high-skilled immigrants to work in the US. The President says this will protect US jo...
Oct 08, 2020•53 min
A report backed by US Democratic lawmakers has urged changes that could lead to the break-up of some of America's biggest tech companies. The recommendation follows a 16-month congressional investigation into Google, Amazon, Facebook and Apple. The BBC's James Clayton explains what's behind the report. Also in the programme, US President Donald Trump has said he is ending negotiations over a Covid-19 relief bill, and will only resume talks after the election. A significant number of bars in Pari...
Oct 07, 2020•52 min
As the number of deaths from coronavirus approaches one million, we hear how countries around the world have been handling the pandemic. Also in the programme, why are some of the world's leading cement producers making a public pledge to shrink their carbon footprint? Plus, Apple and Epic Games are back in court for another face-off over the online video game, Fortnite. And, we meet the founders of London-based start-up NewFade, which is on a mission to make wigs cool, with a focus on serving y...
Sep 29, 2020•52 min
We hear from businesses across India, as the country suffers a 23.9% fall in its economic growth, the worst on record, amidst one of the biggest single-day rises in coronavirus cases in the world. The start of the American presidential election campaign is in full swing, with the two candidates attacking each other over law and order, rather than the economy. And we'll hear the view from the English countryside on how a social media star stopped fears for the farming industry post Brexit. We dis...
Sep 01, 2020•52 min
Covid-19 restrictions and concerns mean that the only people attending in-person will be those necessary to orchestrating the event. Instead of 50,000 people gathering for the traditional calendar with days full of speeches, receptions and rallies, sessions will be streamed from the Democratic Party's social media channels and aired live on most US news channels. We discuss the ramifications with Simon Littlewood of AC Growth Delivered and political reporter Erin Delmore. Meanwhile, some of the ...
Aug 18, 2020•52 min
Alex Harris, Head of Global Policy at the Wellcome Trust and the BBC's Fergus Walsh tell us about promising progress on a coronavirus vaccine. Video-sharing app TikTok has denied that it is controlled by the Chinese government; Emily Taylor, associate fellow with the International Security Programme at Chatham House, tells us why countries like India and the US are not reassured by TikTok's guarantees about the safety of users' data. Office workers are still in many cases, working from home and ...
Jul 21, 2020•52 min
Several countries have criticised China for imposing a new security law on Hong Kong, which they say threatens the territory's long-standing. Some of the world's largest social media and internet businesses - including Facebook, WhatsApp, Twitter, Google and Telegram - have all said they are "pausing" co-operation with requests for user information from the Hong Kong police, until they can assess the situation. The BBC's North America Technology Correspondent, James Clayton, tells us more. Meanw...
Jul 07, 2020•52 min
Intel had faced problems manufacturing its own designs, leading it to issue a public apology to computer-makers. Apple's challenge will be to carry off the transition smoothly to using in-house chips and convince third-party developers to update their apps accordingly. We talk to the BBC's James Clayton in California. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has banned international visitors from making the Islamic pilgrimage, or Hajj, this year in a bid to control coronavirus. However, locals will be allowed to...
Jun 23, 2020•53 min
After three bleak months, New York looks to lift some of its harshest lockdown restrictions. Meanwhile India plans to do the same. There is a difference between the two places, though. New York is widely seen as having put the worst of its coronavirus outbreak behind it. However, India is reopening places of worship, restaurants and shopping malls, despite coronavirus cases continuing to soar and experts warning the nation is far from hitting its peak. Meanwhile, anti-racism protests around the ...
Jun 09, 2020•52 min
Washington may be about to strip Hong Kong of its special trading status with the US - we look at the interplay between the US, China and Hong Kong. Plus, we examine President Trump's move to try to regulate social media sites he says are stifling conservative views. And in Denmark, we head out to bars and restaurants, which are slowly beginning to re-open. Finally, a Canadian court has ruled that a Huawei executive should face a hearing to be extradited to America. The case has destroyed relati...
May 28, 2020•53 min
The French government has announced an €8bn rescue plan for its car industry, which has been severely impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. President Emmanuel Macron's proposal includes €1bn to provide grants of up to €7,000 to encourage citizens to purchase electric vehicles. We hear more from Karl Brauer, Executive Publisher of Cox Automotive. We ask how Airbnb can survive the coronavirus hit to its business model and the BBC's Elizabeth Hotson looks at how fake coronavirus cures are being sol...
May 27, 2020•53 min
We talk to the BBC's Politics Correspondent, Rob Watson about what Dominic Cummings' future may hold. With our special guests Sushma Ramachandran, of the Tribune in Delhi, and Tony Nash, of Complete Intelligence in Houston, Texas, we talk about how India and parts of the United States are easing their lockdowns. We also look at how many people are looking to change careers, whether forced to or not. (Picture: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Special Adviser, Dominic Cummings returns to his...
May 26, 2020•52 min
France lifts many of its lockdown restrictions, even as concerns mount in Germany that Covid-19 cases may be on the rise again. Philippe d’Ornano, Chief Executive of French beauty company Sisley explains what it means for business. Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson clarified instructions for the public in England, after a great deal of ridicule and confusion over the government's initial outlined steps. We explore the difficulty of his position as advice for England now stands at odds w...
May 12, 2020•52 min
As demand for international flights has dried up, the effects are filtering through to Boeing and Airbus. Their customers don't need the planes they already have on order - never mind, placing fresh orders for even more craft. Meanwhile, theories continue to swirl about the mysterious absence of North Korea's leader from public view. He's missed several high profile events and some news outlets are reporting his death. What does the situation, and potential stability issues it creates, mean for ...
Apr 28, 2020•52 min
Countries and governments around the world are starting to feel the strain of coronavirus lockdown, with some showing signs of easing up restrictions. But the World Health Organisation is urging serious care, saying it cannot be done in a hurry. Also in the programme, the EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager has advised governments to prevent companies being taken over by Chinese firms. Amazon's share price surged after the company announced it would take on another 75,000 workers amid...
Apr 14, 2020•52 min
US crude oil prices fell below $20 a barrel on Monday, close to their lowest level in 18 years, as traders bet production would have to shut to prevent a glut in the markets. The situation is particularly bleak for high-cost wells in the world's largest producer: the US. We talk to Ellen Wald, from the Atlantic Council, in Florida, and Tom Adshead, a director of Macro Advisory in Moscow. Meanwhile, the Coronavirus outbreak has caused a rather startling change in fish consumption in Kenya. Instea...
Mar 31, 2020•52 min
The Bank of Japan, Bank of England and European Central Bank all pledged to increase liquidity to help economies through any disruption caused by the Covid-19 virus. (Photo by Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Mar 03, 2020•52 min
Fears of a recession grow after the country's GDP fell by 1.6% in the final quarter of 2019, as the full economic impact of the coronavirus is still to come. Devin Stewart, senior fellow at the US-based Eurasia Group Foundation, tells us what this means for the world's third largest economy. Is an iPhone shortage on the horizon? Manufacturer Apple says production is down and has warned it won't meet its previous revenue guidance. Our business reporter Zoe Thomas brings us up to date from San Fra...
Feb 18, 2020•52 min
Huawei's chief operating officer appears in a Canadian court to fight extradition to the United States on charges of fraud and breaching sanctions on Iran. The United States Census for 2020 is launched in Alaska, an important exercise for economic planning - we hear from Gabriel Layman, the Chief Operating Officer of Cook Inlet Housing Authority, about the quirks of gathering such huge amounts of information. And baseball is hit by a cheating scandal which could prompt advertisers to walk. And i...
Jan 21, 2020•51 min
Speaking in Washington, US President Donald Trump said the pact would be "transformartive" for the US economy. Chinese leaders called it a "win-win" deal that would help foster better relations between the two countries. We hear from Greg Gilligan who chairs the American Chamber of Commerce in China and Steve Lamar, head of the American Apparel and Footwear Association. Russia's government has resigned, hours after President Vladimir Putin proposed sweeping constitutional changes. We explore the...
Jan 16, 2020•50 min
The NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said members were united in their concerns about what he called Iran's destabilising operations in the region and in their resolve that Iran should never acquire nuclear weapons. But he said it was a US, not a NATO, decision to kill the senior Iranian general Qasim Soleimani in Iraq last week. After Iranian threats of retaliation, the world awaits who will make the next move? Meanwhile, South African entrepreneur Richard Maponya has died, aged 99. We l...
Jan 07, 2020•52 min
A look at the changing world of work. How will technology will play a growing role in all areas of our working lives and how essential is it to meet the needs of an increasingly diverse workforce? Washington based Sabina Dewan from Just Jobs Network, an international think tank focussed on creating more and better jobs worldwide joins the discussion. Adrian Blair, formerly Global COO of Just Eat and CEO of Receipt Bank, a fintech company which enhances workflow globally also joins Sasha Twining'...
Dec 26, 2019•49 min
US plane maker Boeing has replaced its chief executive Dennis Muilenburg in the wake of two deadly 737 Max crashes and the plane's subsequent grounding. We speak to Scott Hamilton, an aviation industry consultant with Leeham news and analysis in Seattle. Plus, UK defence and aerospace company Cobham has been bought by a US private equity firm in a $5bn deal that could test the new government's tolerance of foreign takeovers. Also in the programme, how green is the internet? We examine the energy...
Dec 24, 2019•52 min
Over the weekend, at the age of 92, one of the giants of American economic policy and former head of the US central bank Paul Volcker, died at his home in New York. He was perhaps best known for his dramatic hiking of interest rates in the early eighties to fight inflation. We explore his enduring legacy. Meanwhile, shares in Tullow Oil fell as much as 70% after the company announced a boardroom shake-up, scrapped its dividend and cut its production forecasts. Chief executive Paul McDade and exp...
Dec 10, 2019•52 min
