Big Boss Interview

US GDP grew at an overall rate of 3.3% well above the 2% that was predicted but we hear how some people are struggling to pay rent.

We also find out what is going on in the gaming world as Microsoft is slashing 8% of its workforce in their gaming division.

Pursuing the theme of ageism in the workplace, we're asking how far you'd go to look younger to clinch a new job opportunity.

Ed Butler discusses this and more business news with two guests on opposite sides of the world: Diane Brady in the US and Yoko Ishikura in Japan.

(Picture: Row of houses in a suburb in the US Picture Credit: Getty Images)

The US Federal Aviation Authority says it won't allow expansion in production of Boeing's 737 MAX 9 until doubts over quality control are cleared. We hear about the repercussions this could have for the company.

Thousands of Argentines have taken to the streets to protest against president Javier Milei's policies and the reforms he is trying to get approved by the Congress to revive the economy. We get the latest.

Microsoft's stock valuation made history after crossing the $3 trillion milestone for the first time. We look at why investors are rooting for the firm's shares.

Ed Butler discusses this and more business news with two guests on opposite sides of the world: Sergio Guzman, Director of Colombia Risk Analysis in Colombia, and Alison Van Diggelen, host of Fresh Dialogues in the US.

(Picture: Boeing's new 737 MAX-9 is pictured under construction at their production facility in Renton, Washington, U.S. Picture credit: REUTERS)

Voters are set to select Donald Trump as Republican candidate in New Hampshire. Exit polls put him ahead of his rival Nikki Haley. We look at what this would all mean for the US economy.

Netflix pays 5 billion dollars for the right to stream WWE Wrestling. We assess what this means for the streaming giant which has also added millions of new subscribers.

Passengers travelling with Asiana Airlines on international flights will be weighed when they fly out for from Seoul. We hear why the data is being collected on travellers.

We look at how much money is really needed to run a successful presidential race in the United States. Campaign costs can run into billions of dollars and we examine how they work.

The world's first vaccine programme against Malaria started in Cameroon. It is hoped it will save thousands of lives across Africa.

The nominations are out for this years Golden Raspberry Awards or the Razzies. It’s a celebration of the biggest film flops of the year. We look at some of the contenders.

The U.S. President Joe Biden has announced plans to cancel student debt of nearly $5 billion for an additional 74,000 borrowers. This includes more than half who earned forgiveness after 10 years of public service as teachers, nurses and firefighters.

Madonna sued after allegedly arriving on stage two hours late for Celebration tour. The two fans behind the claims say she arrived late for the Celebration tour at New York's Barclays Centre in December

Some companies are making their products smaller in order to preserve profits during the cost of living crisis. We examine so called shrinkflation, and what it means for customers.

Apple announced it would permit app developers to sell products in places other than its own store - but only if they still paid commission.

Spotify said that was "outrageous" and accused Apple of "stopping at nothing" to protect its profits. It is urging the British government to prevent similar fees being levied in the UK.

Also, how another US government shutdown has been avoided and why is it tougher to get promoted if you work from home?

(Picture: Top view of smartphone with music player app on white stone office desktop. Picture credit: Getty Images)

A prosecutor investigating an attack on a TV studio in Ecuador has been shot dead.

Also in tonight’s programme: as Japan Airlines announces its first ever female president, just how many of the world’s airlines are run by women?

And the start-up behind a futuristic “hoverbike” design files for bankruptcy. So why is it so hard to get these machines off the ground? Roger Hearing find out.

(Photo: Prosecutor investigating assault on television channel murdered, Guayaquil, Ecuador. Credit: EPA)

The crisis in the Red Sea shows no sign of easing as a Greek owned ship is attacked in the Red Sea. As the threat of attacks continues, some insurance companies are placing new restrictions on the shipping industry, and many ships are now diverting around the southern tip of Africa rather than taking the shorter route through the Suez Canal.

As De Beers makes some of the steepest cuts to its diamond prices in years, slashing prices by about 10% across the board, we look at the reasons why and what it tells us about the diamond trade.

The inquiry into Britain's Post Office scandal continues - where hundreds of local post officials were prosecuted for stealing money, which was in fact down to malfunctioning software. The system known as Horizon was developed by Fujitsu. Roger Hearing looks at how a company as big as Fujitsu could deal with the reputational damage that the scandal is causing.

Presenter Roger Hearing is joined by Sushma Ramachandran, senior Ffnancial journalist for The Tribune newspaper in Delhi, India and by technology journalist, Takara Small, in Toronto.

(Photo: The Zografia ship which was attacked on 16 January, 2024, by Yemen's Houthi group on its way to Israel. Credit: Mohammed Mahmoud/Getty Images)

Ed Butler is joined by Peter Morici, Economist at the University of Maryland, based in Washington and Jessica Khine, Corporate Advisor for Astris Advisory in Malaysia to discuss the top business stories.

Iowa is the first major state to decide who will be the Republican US presidential candidate for the 2024 election. The opinion polls suggest that former President Donald Trump looks like the clear front-runner, with Nikki Haley and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis competing for second place.

Houthi rebels have hit a US-owned container ship, the Gibraltar Eagle, with a ballistic missile off the coast of Yemen. The rebels say they will continue to target all US and British ships taking part in what they call aggression against Yemen. The two countries have hit Houthi positions after the group began attacking ships in the Red Sea. Ed Butler speaks to Jakob Larsen of BIMCO (The Baltic and International Maritime Council) which represents ship owners around the globe.

Also on the programme, Faisal Islam, the BBC’s Economics Editor, speaks to us from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland about whether the annual gathering of the great and the good - and the rich - still has a relevance in an ever changing world.

And our reporter Izzy Greenfield tells us how trainer technology is producing record times for top athletes as well as profits for the companies who make them.

Devina Gupta is joined by Peter Ryan, ABC's senior business correspondent in Sydney, and Alison Van Diggelen, host of the Fresh Dialogues podcast, based in San Francisco, to talk about the top business stories from around the globe.

People in Taiwan are preparing to vote for a new president and legislature on Saturday. The BBC’s Cindy Sui, looks at how the country’s relationship with Beijing may have dominated election campaigns; it's the economy and jobs that concern the electorate the most.

The American bank, Citigroup, says it will cut twenty-thousand jobs over the next two years. The announcement comes as the company announced its worst quarterly results for more than a decade, reporting a loss of $1.8bn.

And BBC reporter Douglas Shaw meets the Italian tech entrepreneur who’s started an advertising company that creates sonic branding to help businesses stand out with distinctive sounds.