World Business Report

The UK's lowest-paid workers could get a salary increase of 6% next year according to local media reports. We look into the consequences this could have. Also in the programme, we talk to US voters in Nevada about their concerns regarding the rise in cost of living. And we hear about HSBC's unexpected jump in profits.

Japan’s Prime minister Shigeru Ishiba has insisted he will not step down despite a historic loss by the governing coalition in Sunday's elections. We examine the market’s reaction to the loss and look ahead to what this means for the coalition. Meanwhile, in Germany, Volkswagen plans to close three plants, lay off thousands of workers and cut pay by 10%, according to trade unions in negotiations with the car giant. And with only a week to go in the US election, we look at Pennsylvania, tipped to be one of the key swing states that will decide the election. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Struggling German car giant Volkswagen is planning to shut 3 factories in Germany according to the IGMetall Trade Union. We examine the problems facing the European car industry.Georgia’s elections were won by the ruling Georgian Dream party but opposition parties claim the election was stolen.Also, Japanese voters have given the ruling LDP a bloody nose in Sunday’s General Election. We speak to a leading Japanese economist about what happens now, now that no party has a parliamentary majority. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Japanese voters are getting ready to take part in the country's General Election on Sunday. How will it affect Japan’s economy? We speak to business owners and find out what do they expect from this election? Also, we look at the US election campaign in Texas, plus we learn about the very first online banner ad which went live exactly 30 years ago.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Georgia will vote in a crucial parliamentary election this weekend. The country looks to whether their prospects will be better served with closer ties to Russia or Europe. Opposition figures hope a win for them could restart Georgia’s stalled bid to join the EU.Elsewhere, Jensen Huang the chief executive of the chip developer Nvidia received a warm welcome in India. We look at how Nvidia might affect the microchip and AI industry there. Also, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 is one of the year’s most hotly anticipated game releases. We examine its impact at the UK’s biggest gaming show. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Migration is a global political issue but it is also an economic one. Canada has just announced plans to change its policy. The government will reduce permanent residency by 21% in 2025.We will get reaction from the Canadian chamber of commerce Diana Palmerín Velasco.Also, Rahul Tandon looks at a final day of the BRICS summit in Kazan. And find out how the US elections will impacting businesses.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Boeing workers have been on strike for the past six weeks. Late yesterday, they rejected a new offer, which included a 35% pay rise over four years. Data suggests this is the most expensive strike in the US this year. Estimates are the strike has cost Boeing over $8 billion, with that figure expected to rise further. Two big economic summits are ongoing this week. The IMF warns against a global trade war. Meanwhile, in Russia, the BRICS conference is wrapping up and we examine the key takeaways from the summit. And we look ahead to Japan’s snap election, which has been called by the country’s new prime minister Shigeru Ishiba.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voice note: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Boeing workers vote on pay offer on Wednesday. Workers downed tools six weeks ago after rejecting initial pay offer. They’ve been offered a 35% pay increase, over the next 4 years. Also, we hear from migrants from Latin America who work in the fields of the US state of Pennsylvania. Tesla’s share price jumps after its 3Q results beat market expectations. And we hear why France is home to both haute cuisine and fast food. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Leaders of the ten key BRICS nations gather in the Russian city of Kazan for the annual summit. It began eighteen years ago with Brazil, Russia, India and China. In 2010, South Africa joined. And most recently, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates were welcomed. Aiming to create what they believe is a more balanced global economy and reduce reliance on Western financial systems, we look at the impact they have on the global economy. While IMF members are celebrating a slowdown in inflation, festivities are somewhat overshadowed by concerns about rising levels of private and government debt. As its annual conference in Washington DC is getting under way, we hear their outlook for the world’s major economies. And with 13 days to go to the US election – we look at how border countries like Canada are viewing the prospect of a Harris or Trump presidency. Will it affect their livelihoods? You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear fro

Essential businesses and schools remain closed until Wednesday as Hurricane Oscar makes landfall in Cuba - an island already in the midst of a massive power failure. Millions have been struggling with a near nationwide blackout after a major power station came offline. The government said power is expected to be mostly restored by Monday evening. We hear how food and water are proving difficult to come by for some islanders.The High Court in London begins hearing a civil trial over the responsibility for Brazil's worst environmental disaster - the collapse of a mining dam in 2015. Nineteen people were killed and hundreds of homes were destroyed as toxic water was released. Claimants are now seeking $47bn in damages. And, as the 16th annual summit BRICS is about to be hosted by the Russian President VladImir Putin – we speak to Lord Jim O’Neill. He coined the synonym ‘BRICS’ but told us he felt the organisation ‘no longer knows what it stands for’. Its members - including some new ones attending for the fi

The Cuban government has declared an energy emergency after a massive power cut led to the failure of supplies across the entire country. The total blackout came after the Antonio Guiteras power plant in Matanzas - the largest on the island - went offline. The government had already suspended all non-essential public sector services in an effort to conserve supplies. President Miguel Diaz-Canel blamed the decades-long US embargo against his country for the problem. Meanwhile, in China, what do latest GDP figures mean for the country’s economy? Results show the slowest growth since early 2023, but officials remain upbeat about future growth. We examine what's contributing the country's sluggish economy. Also, the global food industry is growing rapidly - some estimates say its now worth more than $10 trillion. But there are growing concerns about how healthy some of that food is. The UN has stepped in, detailing what they want global food producers to do about food labelling.You can contact us on WhatsApp o

Beijing has stepped up efforts to boost its economy after reporting the slowest pace of growth in a year and a half.Plus, why are we seeing a spike in tanker crashes in Nigeria?And the Russian parliament has passed the first stage of a law to ban so-called "propaganda of childlessness" including large fines. You can contact us on WhatsApp or send a voicenote to: +44 330 678 30 33. We would love to hear from you!

The European Central Bank has cut interest rates to 3.25% to prevent a significant slowdown in the Eurozone's economy.Leanna Byrne hears from businesses around the continent to find out how they're responding to their country's economic challenges.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) reports a 54% increase in Q3 net profit. The company estimated its capital spending in the current quarte would more than double to around $11.5 billion and that the budget was likely to increase further next year, as it expects healthy demand for its products.In the closing weeks of the US election, we hear from business-owners...Also, we find out why announced Hong Kong government announced new regulations to phase out subdivided flats smaller than eight square metres.And clocks about to change for many of us - but is there an economic case for ditching daylight saving time?You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

We hear of the plight of vulnerable women in Lebanon—domestic workers who’ve been cast out by their employers as the crisis in the country deepens. The US’ Federal Trade Commission tells Ed Butler how it plans to enforce new rules requiring American businesses to make it as easy to cancel subscriptions and memberships as it is to sign up to them.We’ll also look at Ethiopia’s bold leap into the financial markets with its first-ever IPO, aiming to raise $255 million and lay the foundation for a stock exchange. And Amazon dives into the nuclear energy race, joining AI giants in a quest for dominance in the energy sector.

The first people to be intercepted at sea by the Italian navy under a controversial migration deal with Albania are on their way to the Balkan nation to have their asylum claims processed. If rejected they will be sent back to countries deemed safe.Also, in the programme, we look at the slow down is sales luxury goods firms have been reporting and the corresponding slump in their share prices.And why Australia plans to ban “dynamic pricing” amid rising anger from fans faced with soaring prices as they try to buy in-demand tickets to see their favourite band?And how opening of the Great Egyptian Museum (GEM) will boost the tourism in Giza?You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

The big event of 2021 that will shape economies all over the world for decades to come was the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow in November. The meeting saw a deluge of promises, but what was actually achieved? Martin Webber speaks to Tim Gould, chief energy economist at the International Energy Agency and economist Irwin Stelzer, from the Hudson Institute in the United States.It was another boom year for the pharmaceutical industry as it crafted the vaccines that have saved so many lives. Of the 8 billion coronavirus vaccinations worldwide, one billion have been delivered by the US logistics company, UPS. We hear from Wes Wealer, President of UPS healthcare.And small business owners have had a bleak time for much of the past year. But many of those that have survived now feel optimistic. We hear from the owner of the Aroma speciality coffee shop in Bologna in Italy, Cristina Caroli, about her year.

Covid-19 is set to prompt radical long term changes to how we live and work, so what lessons can be learnt when we eventually emerge from the pandemic? Could the changes in the way we work herald higher productivity and happier people in the future?We hear the stories of the people who managed to thrive during a very difficult year, including the milkman who saw a boom in deliveries and the dancer who found work in South Korea when the London stage went dark.Martin Webber is joined by Professor Devi Sridhar who holds the Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh; economist Roger Bootle, of Capital Economics; Robert Reich, former Labour Secretary under President Clinton; Tomas Philipson, who was Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under Mr Trump; and actor Thomas Inge who is currentl starring in the musical Cats in South Korea.