Big Boss Interview

An already tense situation on the Korean peninsula escalated with North Korea’s launch of its highest-ever ICBM that landed in Japanese waters. Anna Fifield, Tokyo bureau chief for the Washington Post, explains how significant the action is. Later in the programme, Jared Bernstein, a member of President Obama’s economic team, talks about Jerome Powell’s testimony on Capitol Hill as he seeks confirmation to become the next Federal Reserve chairman. We’ll also hear from the BBC’s Karishma Vaswani about how Vietnam has become home to a thriving start-up scene, and discuss diversity in this year’s Grammy nominations with Kevin Fallon, senior entertainment reporter at the Daily Beast.

(Picture: Kim Jong-Un delivering a statement in Pyongyang. Picture credit: Getty)

Regional branches of Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF party have joined growing calls for President Robert Mugabe to resign. We hear the latest from the BBC's Fergal Keane.

Britain could put a tax on one-use plastic food packaging and polystyrene takeaway boxes. Government ministers are asking for evidence on whether a new tax would prevent waste and cut pollution in the world's oceans. Research this week found plastic is widespread in the stomachs of sea creatures, and humans are eating them. Craig Bennett, CEO of Friends of the Earth in the UK, tells us what he thinks of the UK government's proposal.

The US media giants Comcast and Verizon have expressed interest in buying parts of Twenty First Century Fox, less than two weeks after Disney tried to do the same. Steven Barnett, Professor of Communications at the University of Westminster in London, explains why there's a bidding frenzy in media land.

All this and more discussed with our guest throughout the show: Colin Peacock is the presenter of Mediawatch on Radio New Zealand. He joins us from Wellington.

(Photo: Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe at a graduation ceremony in Harare on the 17th November, 2017. Credit: AFP.)

President Trump has renewed his verbal pressure on North Korea, warning Pyongyang not to take military action against the US or its allies. Mr Trump said he hoped the North's leader understood the gravity of the situation. World leaders have expressed concern at the war of words over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme.

Vincent Ni, Senior Producer, BBC Chinese Service talks about how many people use services and social media platforms like Weibo, WeChat and Baidu Tieba in China. They are currently investigation for alleged violations of cyber security laws and said people had been using the platforms to spread terrorism-related material, rumours and obscenities. The breaches "jeopardised national security," the administration said.

Michelle Fleury reports from New York about the growing premium market, as parents spend to make sure they have the very best products for their children. In the US, women are waiting longer to have children which, sometimes, means they have more disposable income.

North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launch was in the direction of Japan. The Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, says the world needs to increase pressure on Pyongyang to end its missile testing programme. We'll discuss North Korea's latest intercontinental missile test, which experts say puts US cities in range.

As the United States Food and Drug Administration announces that it wants to limit the amount of nicotine in cigarettes, we asked Professor Stanton Glantz from the University of California San Francisco for his assessment.

Plus, an underground mail train in London is coming back on track as part of the London Postal Museum. The BBC’s Richard Collings went on board.

Rob Young is joined on the programme by Colin Peacock, who’s a journalist at Radio New Zealand.

(Photo: A man looks at images of missile launches and military exercises in a public square in Pyongyang. Photo credit: ED JONES/AFP/Getty Images)

The US House of Representatives has voted to impose fresh sanctions on Russia, despite President Donald Trump objecting to the legislation.

Is infrastructure spending really the secret to boosting economic growth? We look at the cost and benefits of planned projects around the globe.

And, the "world's most useless airport" is finally about to get its first scheduled flight.

The BBC's Roger Hearing will be joined throughout the programme from Singapore by Asit Biswas, distinguished visiting Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, and from Los Angeles by Andy Uhler from the Marketplace programme at American public radio. They'll also be joined from Taiwan by the BBC's Cindy Sui and by Chris Heathcote author of the Global Infrastructure Outlook report and the travel journalist Simon Calder.

Picture: US President Donald Trump and Russia's President Vladimir Putin shake hands during a meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Hamburg this month. Credit:Saul Loeb AFP/Getty Images.

Just as the protestors on Hamburg's streets have varied demands, so too do the leaders of the G20. The US, for example, wants more trade tariffs (especially on steel imports) - a policy that not all members agree with. We get the latest on the summit from our correspondent in Hamburg, Amir Paivar. London-based PR firm Bell Pottinger apologises after its social media campaigns caused offence in South Africa. Nikita Ramkissoon from the Save South Africa campaign tells us her objections to it. Plus, we meet the astronomer turned entrepreneur Dr Kim Nilson, whose company Pivigo matches data scientists with firms who need them. Susannah Streeter is joined throughout the programme by Peter Ryan, senior business correspondent for ABC in Sydney. (Picture credit Alexander Koerner/Getty Images)

As leaders of the world’s twenty largest economies arrive in the northern German city of Hamburg, thousands of protestors took to the streets. Several police officers were injured as violence erupted. We get the latest from BBC correspondent Jenny Hill. As the EU and Japan announce their free trade deal, we speak to Shihoko Goto of the Northeast Asia Program at the Wilson Center in Washington. And the BBC’s Timothy McDonald reports from the Philippines, where new technology is disrupting the craft of guitar making. Roger Hearing is joined throughout the programme by entrepreneur and author August Turake in North Carolina and investment director Catherine Yeung in Hong Kong. (Photo credit Alexander Koerner/Getty Images)

Figures from the US Department of Labor showed that the unemployment rate dropped in April. But the rebound in the jobs market could pave the way for the US central bank to raise interest rates, warns Chirs Low of FTN Financial on Wall Street.

The Indian government says it's planning new rules allowing airlines to ban unruly passengers from flying. It follows a steady increase in air rage incidents worldwide, and an incident where MP Ravindra Gaikwad hit an Air India duty manager with his sandal. Charles Leocha from Travelers United.org says it is easy for stress levels to rise on packed planes.

The chief executive of Goldman Sachs, the world's second largest investment bank, has warned that London "will stall" because of the risks from the Brexit process. He has told the BBC that his firm had "contingency plans" to move people depending on the outcome of the negotiations.

More and more people are being allowed to take their dogs to work, which can have surprising benefits for other employees. Susannah Streeter borrowed a dog and brought it to work with her to investigate.

Susannah is joined throughout the programme by Clive Hunton of ABC in Canberra, Australia.

(Picture: Construction workers in New York Credit:Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

The GDU-43 bomb weighs almost 10,000kg, is as long as a small bus and packs the equivalent of eleven tons of TNT. But is deploying it an essential part of the war against so-called Islamic State, or is it just designed to show off America's military strength? We ask Michael O'Hanlon from the Brookings Institution.

Since the start of the conflict in Syria, Armenia has welcomed an influx of refugees from the native Syrian Armenian community in Aleppo. They've been supported by the government to set up a series of micro-enterprises, but this has caused conflict with local business owners who say it's bringing them more competition. Nicola Kelly reports from the capital city, Yerevan

Political protests have become frequent and numerous in Venezuela in recent weeks. Most recently they have been sparked by a decision to bar the opposition leader, Henrique Capriles, from holding public office for fifteen years. The BBC's Daniel Garcia talks to us from Caracas.

What does Easter mean to you? Is it a religious festival, a break from work or just an excuse to consume large quantities of chocolate? Well it would appear that in the US it's increasingly becoming a good time for shops, according to the National Retail Federation.

Joining Roger Hearing to discuss those stories are guests Professor Aswit Biswas in Singapore and Alison Van Diggelen in San Francisco

(Picture: GDU-43 or 'Massive Ordnance Air Blast' bomb, Credit: U.S. Air Force)

Despite the shadow of US military action in Syria, American President Donald Trump insists his talks with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have been positive. We talk to Heather Timmons from Quartz to find out how relations between the two superpowers are being shaped.

After at least four people were killed in a suspected terror attack in Sweden, we find out the latest from the BBC's Maddy Savage in Stockholm.

We discuss some of the weeks biggest stories - including executive pay, fake news and the world's best restaurant awards - with Shelly Banjo of Bloomberg in New York and Elaine Moore of the Financial Times in London.

And we examine the new Icelandic TV sensation that's picking up a global audience. It's Big Brother, only with cats.

Discussing all of that with Alex Ritson is Elizabeth Jackson, a presenter from ABC Radio in Sydney, Australia.

(Picture: US President Donald Trump with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, Credit: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images)