Business Matters

Informações:

Synopsis

Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Asia and the USA.

Episodes

  • How extreme heat in the US is affecting business

    22/07/2023 Duration: 50min

    Businesses in South-West of the United States explain how the weather is impacting them. India and Sri Lanka have announced that they will carry out feasibility studies on laying an oil pipeline across the narrow sea strait that divides them. Taylor Swift is the latest big name to take her international tour to Singapore but not Hong Kong. And, we discuss Burberry, the 170 year old high-fashion brand built on its British principles. (A sign warns of extreme heat danger on Death Valley National Park on July 15, 2023, in California. Picture Credit: Getty Images)

  • Wheat prices rise after Russia threatens ships

    21/07/2023 Duration: 50min

    Global wheat prices have risen sharply after Russia carried out missile attacks on military infrastructure near grain ports in Ukraine. And the new barbie film is on the way but this is not the only film and TV series we expect from the Mattel franchise. (Picture: TQ Samsun last grain ship off the Black Sea on July 17, 2023 after Russia announced that it withdrew from the Grain Corridor Agreement. Source: Getty Images)

  • Russia pulls out of grain deal

    18/07/2023 Duration: 50min

    Moscow notified the UN, Turkey and Ukraine on Monday that it would not renew the Black Sea grain initiative, accusing the West of not keeping its side of the bargain. The decision has been condemned by world leaders including the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres and the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. (A farmer holds grains in pictured July 16, 2023. Source: Getty Images)

  • Microsoft's deal to buy Activision boosted by US judge

    12/07/2023 Duration: 50min

    A US court has given Microsoft the green light to buy the videogame maker Activision Blizzard in a deal worth $69bn. Microsoft said after the US win, it would focus on resolving concerns around competition in the UK. The tech giant's merger with the Call of Duty owner would be the biggest deal of its kind in gaming industry history. Bank of America has been ordered to pay out $150m (£116m) in penalties after it was found to have opened credit cards without customers' permission. (Picture: Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 by Activision. Source: Getty Images)

  • Threads app signs up 100m users in less than a week

    11/07/2023 Duration: 52min

    Threads, the social media app aimed at rivalling Twitter, has signed up more than 100 million users in less than five days. The platform, launched by Instagram-owner Meta, has beaten a record set by Open AI's ChatGPT app. China’s consumer inflation rate was flat in June while factory-gate prices fell further, causing alarms about deflation risks and adding to speculation about potential economic stimulus. Could countries be soon mining the seabed? A meeting of The International Seabed Authority started on Monday to try and hammer out a global code for exactly that. (The Meta logo with an Instagram Threads logo in the background. Source: Getty Images)

  • Blinken visit to Beijing seeks to ease US-China tension

    17/06/2023 Duration: 54min

    The US Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, is heading to Beijing to restore the line of communication between the two countries after a persistent economic and diplomatic tensions. Filipinos make up around a quarter of all mariners worldwide, but many find it hard to get proper care abroad because of confusing legal loopholes. And should tourists try their hand at haggling abroad – or just pay what they’re asked? (Picture: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Source: Getty Images)

  • Africa peace making mission aimed at aiding global economy

    16/06/2023 Duration: 54min

    Leaders and representatives from various African countries are traveling to Eastern Europe in an effort to broker peace between Ukraine and Russia – and provide an Africa-led boost to the world’s economy. Roger Hearing is joined by ambassador Rama Yade from the Atlantic Council’s Africa Centre to discuss the visit. Foxconn, one of the biggest electronics manufacturers in the world, makes more than half of Apple’s products as well as goods for Amazon, Dell and Sony amongst others. But how is the Taiwan-based giant coping amid increasing US-China tensions? The company’s CEO Young Liu speaks to the BBC’s Karishma Vaswani. With the Fed holding US interest rates this week, and inflation apparently back within manageable limits, now America’s labour market is coming under scrutiny. (Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) greets South African President Cyril Ramaphosa (L). Archive image. Source Getty Images)

  • US Fed leaves interest rates unchanged

    15/06/2023 Duration: 54min

    Roger Hearing looks at how the Federal Reserve has left the United States interest rates unchanged and steady for the first time in more than a year. However, its latest economic forecast suggest that more rate hikes lie ahead. Half of workers aren’t engaged on the job, putting in slightest effort to get by, according to research by Gallup. Employee engagement, a measure of involvement and enthusiasm at work, globally declined for the second year in a row. And the frenzy stoked by the start of the Beyonce's world tour is has been driving up prices in Sweden. (Picture: Shopper in a supermarket in New York, in JUNE 12. Source: Getty Images)

  • EU votes on ways to regulate AI

    14/06/2023 Duration: 49min

    This week the EU votes on ways to regulate AI. Vice-President Margrethe Vestager leads the charge against threats posed by artificial intelligence. She tells the BBC that although the threat of human extinction ”probably does exist”, the likelihood is “quite small”. She says initial threats include discrimination, and criminals getting ahead of the police in understanding AI. This week European politicians debate the issue as they vote on the AI Act. It's the first law for AI systems in the West and it largely categorizes the away AI is used into four levels of risk: unacceptable risk, high risk, limited risk and minimal or no risk. If the legislation passes, unacceptable risk applications would banned by default and will not be deployed in European countries. U.S inflation has fallen again – but is it enough to prevent an interest rate rise? Inflation was down to 4% in the US at the end of May – its lowest since 2021. Prices for eggs, petrol and furniture were down, helping to cut inflation to less than ha

  • Major setback in Microsoft’s bid to buy Activision Blizzard

    13/06/2023 Duration: 49min

    The U.S watchdog has asked a judge to block a $69 billion bid by Microsoft to buy Activision Blizzard. The gaming company makes ‘Call of Duty’ and many other titles. But the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) position on the deal is now closer to the that taken by the UK regulator. The issue hangs on claims the sale would give Microsoft's Xbox exclusive access to Activision games, leaving Nintendo consoles and Sony's PlayStation out in the cold. Also in the U.S, America's biggest bank, JPMorgan Chase, has agreed in principle to settle a class action lawsuit brought on behalf of victims of the convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The case was brought by one victim on behalf of hundreds of other women and girls abused by the disgraced financier. The bank is facing a bill of around $290 million. And – you may have heard of ‘greenwashing’ – but have you heard of the new phrase…green-hushing’? We find out why companies are suddenly starting to keep their green credentials to themselves.

  • Biden and McCarthy ‘closer to deal’ on debt ceiling

    27/05/2023 Duration: 54min

    President Biden has said that he should know by the end of Friday whether there is a deal with Republicans to raise the government debt ceiling, so it can continue to pay its bills. Mr Biden said things were looking good and he thought negotiators were very close to a deal. The two sides have a little more breathing room after the US Treasury Secretary, Janet Yellen, extended the debt ceiling deadline by four days, to 5 June. (Picture: U.S. President Joe Biden. Source: Somodevilla/Getty Images)

  • Nvidia earnings make chip maker AI superpower

    26/05/2023 Duration: 54min

    Nvidia, a US firm which specializes in chips powering artificial intelligence, surged as much as 27% on Thursday, putting the company on course for record performance with a market cap above $900 billion. But where is the future of AI while there are raising concerns about regulation and safety? And have you ever heard of ‘greedflation’? Find out why price rises might be bringing out some unsavoury tendencies in retail. (Picture: The logo of NVIDIA is seen displayed on a mobile phone screen with AI (artificial intelligence) written in the background. Source: Getty Images)

  • China is the focus on the second day of G7 summit

    20/05/2023 Duration: 54min

    It's day two of the G7 summit, and the leaders of the group of major developed economies are in the Japanese city of Hiroshima. So far the focus of their talks has been Russia and Ukraine - today there is another major issue on the table – China. The Indian government says it will start withdrawing its highest value currency note from circulation saying it is not widely in use. People have been asked exchange their two-thousand rupee notes (worth around twenty five dollars) for smaller denominations by the end of September. An official from the central bank said the withdrawal would not cause any disruption to normal life or the economy. NASA has awarded the contract to build its astronaut Moon lander to a consortium led by Blue Origin - the space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. (Picture: G7 leaders (left to right) Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Joe Biden, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, UK Prime Minister Rishi S

  • Coronation of King Charles III

    06/05/2023 Duration: 54min

    Royalty and dignitaries from around the world have arrived in London ahead of the coronation of King Charles. Many of them will be guests in Westminster Abbey on Saturday morning where the coronation ceremony will begin at 11 o'clock. Millions of other people across the UK and beyond are preparing to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III - a symbolic ceremony combining a religious service and pageantry. The day of splendour and formality will feature customs dating back more than 1,000 years. King Charles III is head of the Commonwealth countries and the head of state of 14 countries. (Picture: His Majesty King Charles III. Source: WPA Pool/Getty Images)

  • Apple profit and revenue higher than expected

    05/05/2023 Duration: 53min

    Apple has reported quarterly revenue and profit above Wall Street's expectations, fuelled by strong iPhone sales - particularly in emerging markets such as India (where the company recently opened its first stores). The US tech giant reported profits of twenty-four billion dollars ($24 billion) on revenue of ninety-four-point-eight billion dollars ($94.8 billion) in the first three months of this year. The US regional banking sector is coming under renewed pressure amid a crisis in confidence. Trading in the California lender PacWest was briefly suspended as shares fell more than fifty percent, after its owners confirmed it had explored strategic asset sales. The British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has won Thinking Out Loud copyright case. A New York court ruled today that Mr Sheeran did not copy Marvin Gaye's Let's Get It On when composing the track. (Picture: An iPhone logo in Shanghai, China. Source: Getty Images)

  • AI’s ‘Godfather’ quits Google amid dark warnings

    02/05/2023 Duration: 49min

    Geoffrey Hinton helped to establish some of the basic foundations of AI but now fears the technology is racing ahead too fast. He is leaving Google after more than ten years so he can speak more freely about the risks. The White House says First Republic bank, which collapsed to be taken over by JP Morgan, was ‘severely mismanaged’. However, some customers and former staff disagree. The failure of San Francisco-based First Republic is the second-largest in US history and the third in the country since March. And, Hollywood writers and television producers approach a deadline to sign a new contract - or take strike action…the first such action in 15 years. (Photo: Artificial intelligence pioneer Geoffrey Hinton speaks at the Thomson Reuters Financial and Risk Summit in Toronto, December 4, 2017. Mark Blinch/Reuters)

  • How Apple’s new stores in India could help young generation?

    20/04/2023 Duration: 53min

    Apple Chief Executive, Tim Cook, has met with Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, as he is looking for a market growth and investment in India. Tesla shares dropped 2% after the electric-vehicle maker cuts down the price U.S for the sixth time this year. Tesla shares slid further in initial after-market trading on Wednesday following the company's quarterly report. April 18th - was Tax Day in the US - the day that marks the deadline for individuals to file their income tax returns for the year. That opportunity was by a group of billionaires to bring a protest to the US Congress too - demanding they pay more tax. It's been a challenging time for the global airline industry. Demand has yet to recover following the Covid pandemic - and this week industry leaders have warned the cost of de-carbonising flights could send passenger costs even higher in the years to come. (Picture: Men talk on their mobile phones in front of an iPhone 14 advertisement, in India. Source: Sankhadeep Banerjee/NurPhoto via Getty Image

  • Fox News settles $787.5m for Dominion defamation case

    19/04/2023 Duration: 53min

    The US voting technology firm Dominion has settled with Fox News just before their defamation trial was due to begin. Dominion had sought $1.6bn (£1.3bn) from Fox, whom it claimed spread falsehoods about its voting machines in the 2020 presidential election. The final settlement agreed between both parties was for $787.5m. The world of its biggest competitor the streaming giant Netflix has just released its latest financial results and it has bounced back from the loss of 200,000 subscribers a year ago. Pew Research in the United States found that even when women earnt the same as a male partner - they still spent more of their down time caring for either children or elderly parents - as opposed to the men who spent it - doing whatever they wanted. Baseball's new pitch clock designed to speed up the pace of the game has won many fans - just not in professional teams' commercial departments. (People walk by the News Corporation headquarters, home to Fox News, on April 18, 2023 in New York City. Source: S

  • The US-China trade war heating up

    18/04/2023 Duration: 53min

    There have been economic tensions between the US and China that has been for some time dominating the news and the involvement of their respective allies. Is this a new trade war that is coming back to the boil? And as a jobseeker, ChatGPT is affecting job applications as fears of cheating grow and employers thinking to disqualify any AI-aided submissions. (Picture: A photo illustration showing Chinese 100 yuan banknotes and US banknotes in Beijing. Source: EPA/WU HONG)

  • Biden trumpets inflation fall

    13/04/2023 Duration: 49min

    US inflation fell to 5% last month – the lowest rate since May 2021. March’s monthly consumer price index – which measures the price of a ‘basket’ of goods and services – continued its steady decline from its peak of just over 9%. It prompted US President Joe Biden to tweet that: “Inflation has come down 45% since its summer peak. Gas prices are down, and grocery prices fell last month for the first time since September 2020”. But the slowdown is not expected to sway officials at the Federal Reserve, who set interest rates. Economists are still expecting an increase. Also in the US - some ambitious new targets have been announced for cutting greenhouse gas emissions from cars. The Environmental Protection Agency wants two-thirds of all new vehicles to be electric within a decade. It's the latest step by the Biden administration to push for the mass adoption of EVs. Last year, electric vehicles made up about six percent of the American market so there's a long way to go to hit those targets. Are they realis

page 3 from 10