Business Matters

72 tennis players at the Australian Open are facing 14 days stuck in Melbourne Hotels after positive Covid-19 cases on their inbound planes; We discuss whether the Covid-19 pandemic is still a big threat to major sport events including the Tokyo Olympics. We'll hear the latest on the US Capitol as DC remains on high alert ahead of President-Elect Joe Biden's inauguration on Wednesday. Car and electronic device makers sound alarm bells amid a global microchip shortage. Russ Mould of stockbrokers AJ Bell is a former semiconductor analyst, and explains the background and implications. More than 140,000 retail jobs have been lost in the UK since the start of the pandemic; we hear how people have been able to survive financially by reinventing their way of doing business. Also in the programme, ski journalist Robert Stewart on why the resort of Courchevel in France is marketing itself as an alternative location for people to work from home. Plus could being too efficient working from home put your job at risk? (Pi

A merger between Fiat Chrysler and PSA has won approval from the companies' shareholders. The new company will be called Stellantis and we ask why has Fiat agreed to be subsumed into an ever bigger group. Also in the programme, more than 200 workers at Google-parent Alphabet have formed a labour union. It marks a seismic shift in Silicon Valley, where unions are a rarity and relations with organised labour is often fractious. We hear from Google employee Dr Alex Hanna, who is one of the staff who've got their membership card. Plus, worries over health and anxiety about employment during the pandemic have led to restless nights for many of us. The BBC's Elizabeth Hotson reports on measures people can take to ensure they get a good night's sleep.And - as new year gets under way, we hear about the home fitness alternatives many are choosing for their resolutions, in place of signing up to a gym.PHOTO: Getty Images

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 the advisory group Maplecroft, gives us her analysis.Throughout the programme we'll also get the views of our guests, Professor Peter Morici, from the University of Maryland, in Washington and financial professional Jessica Khine, who is in Malaysia.(Picture: EU and UK flags. Getty Images.)

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 evidence that later lockdowns, designed to combat a second wave of the virus, aren't having the same positive environmental impact as the initial lockdowns, as Mike Johnson has been hearing from Simon Birkitt, founder of the campaign group Clean Air in London. It will take “substantial last minute efforts” in order to strike a Brexit deal – that’s according to the EU Trade Commissioner, Valdis Dombrovskis, who's been speaking to our Global Trade Correspondent Dharshini David. And are you looking for something to buy your

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 recoveries. And the nuclear industry is pinning its hopes on mass-producing small, cheap power stations to compete with renewable energy. Plus, the Kazakhstan tourism board attempt to capitalise on the release of the second Borat film.All through the show we’ll be joined by Jeanette Rodrigues from Bloomberg in Mumbai and Ralph Silva from the Silva Research Network in Toronto.(Picture credit: Getty Images)

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 business is in trouble: movie theatres are closed or limiting numbers because of the pandemic and the supply of new releases has dried up. Plus, we’ll hear how working from home could be making us less creative.All through the show we’ll be joined by political journalist Erin Delmore in New York and Enda Curran of Bloomberg in Hong Kong.

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 Tawnell Hobbs from the Wall Street Journal in Dallas, and Mehmal Sarfraz, co-founder of digital news site The Current PK in Lahore.(Image: Leaflet calling for a boycott of French goods are displayed in place of French products which have been removed in protest at a supermarket in Yemen. Photo by Mohammed Hamoud/Getty Images)

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 Prize for their work on auction theory. We speak to Robert Wilson and ask how relevant auction theory is in the world today. And Australian scientists have discovered that the virus that causes Covid-19 can survive for up to 28 days on banknotes. Dr Debbie Eagles from the Australian Centre for Disease Preparedness tells us how much of a threat this could be.Jamie Robertson is joined throughout the programme by Simon Littlewood, president of AC Growth Delivered, in Singapore, and by Alexis Goldstein, activist and financi

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 jobs but Michael Clemens, economist at the Centre for Global Development, says the evidence does not support this. Maelle Gavet, a Silicon Valley executive and author of “Trampled By Unicorns: Big Tech’s Empathy Problem and How to Fix it,” joins to talk about this week's congressional report into the monopoly powers of Amazon, Alphabet, Google and Facebook. And as global temperatures rise, we take a look at the impact on the workplace.All through the show we'll be joined by Andy Uhler of Marketplace in Texas, and Patrick

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 Paris have been forced to close for the next two weeks, as journalist Sophie Pedder explains. We take a look at how the Coronavirus pandemic is hitting low-income students, and might provoke long-term changes in the education system overall, with Eloy Ortiz Oakley of California Community Colleges. And a 400-strong ensemble of freelance musicians has played outside the UK Parliament to highlight the plight of the music industry during the current pandemic. Violinist Nicola Benedetti attended to support to the performers, an

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 young black men.Presenter Sasha Twining is joined by Nicole Childers, executive producer of Marketplace Morning Report in Los Angels, and Bloomberg editor Samson Ellis in Taiwan.Picture: A stock photo of a man wearing personal protective equipment. (Credit: Getty Images.)

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 discuss all this live with Nicole Childers, who is executive producer of Marketplace radio in Los Angeles, and Madhavan Narayanan, journalist and writer in Delhi.(Image: A woman handles India rupee notes. Credit: AFP PHOTO / ARUN SANKAR (Photo credit should read ARUN SANKAR/AFP via Getty Images)

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 richest people in Hollywood and Silicon Valley could be set to pay a state wealth tax but how much extra cash will it actually raise? And, Google has taken on the Australian authorities over a plan to make web giants pay news publishers for using their content. We'll look at what's at stake in a row that many say is unprecedented in Australia. (Picture: Kamala Harris and Joe Biden. Credit: Getty Images)

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 there is a growing realisation that this is having a huge knock on effect on small retailers who rely on that footfall. The BBC's Dougal Shaw meets one retailer in London, whose family-run chain of small shops sells gift cards, wrote to the BBC explaining his plight. Civil rights leader and congressman, John Lewis, died last week; we hear about his life from Erika Alexander, co-founder of Color Farm Media and producer of the film John Lewis: Good Trouble. And our regular workplace commentator, Pilita Clarke, considers

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. Meanwhile, could self-guiding, autonomous ships be the future? And, we talk to Hollywood Reporter Contributing Editor Jonathan Handel about how streaming a production of the musical Hamilton may just have given Disney's new online service an enormous boost. We discuss the implications of all these stories, and more, with Nicole Childers, executive producer of Marketplace Morning Report, and Economist Andy Xie. (Picture credit: Getty Images)

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 attend, allowing the spirit of the Hajj to live on. We speak to Rashid Mogradia, founder and Chief Executive of the Council of British Hajjis. And can Rugby survive the lockdown? Teams are struggling to pay salaries and don't know when they can get spectators back into the stadia. (Picture: An iPhone. Credit: iStock Editorial/ Getty Images Plus)

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 world continue in the wake of the killing of George Floyd, adding extra pressure to small businesses, hoping the end of lockdowns will bring a path to normality. The BBC's Rahul Tandon talks to Erin Delmore, a New York-based political journalist, and Sushma Ramchandran, an independent business journalist and columnist at the Tribune. Picture: Rickshaw driver in a face mask. Credit: Yawar Nazir

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 relations between Ottawa and Beijing, says our expert. We speak about all this with live guests Ralph Silva of the Silva Research Network in Toronto, and Mehmal Sarfraz, a journalist and co-founder of the Current PK website in Lahore.

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 sold and who's buying them. Also on the programme, the life of Stanley Ho, who has died at the age of 98. The King of Gambling, as he is known, made billions of dollars from his casinos to become one of Asia's richest men. JK Rowling is publishing a new book, The Ickabog, which will be given away for free to entertain the millions of children stuck in their homes due to the lockdowns. We here more from Emma Pocock who writes for Forbes and for the leading Harry Potter fan site, The Leaky Cauldron. Plus, we're joined throu

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 home in London. Picture credit: European Photopress Agency)