Business

Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen have outlined differing visions for the French economy ahead of Sunday's election. The presidential candidates want to tackle the top issue for French voters: the rising cost of living. Daniela Ordonez, Chief French Economist at Oxford Economics, breaks down the different proposals and what they would cost the French state.

The cost of living crisis is the top issue for most French voters, ahead of the second round of the presidential election on Sunday. With Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen preparing to spar in a televised debate, what measures are the candidates proposing? Also in the show: Netflix loses subscribers for the first time in a decade.

Ahead of the French presidential run-off on Sunday, we take a closer look at Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen's divergent views on the future of the renewable energy sector in France. Macron wants to add thousands of jobs to the wind turbine industry, while Marine Le Pen wants to dismantle it completely. We also discuss the rising cost of wood, now that the world's largest forests in Russia are under sanctions. Also in today's business news, Sri Lanka makes a plea to the IMF and French music streaming site Deezer announces plans to go public.

Over the first three months of the year, China's economy expanded at an annual rate of nearly 5 percent when compared to the same stretch last year. But as Covid-19 lockdowns roll on, the country's annual growth target looks hard to reach. Also, talks kick off between Sri Lanka and the IMF, and Mexican legislators vote down a controversial energy reform package.

We take a closer look at the bid by the world's richest man to buy Twitter for $43 billion. Elon Musk would need the backing of major investment firms for the hostile takeover. We explore what a potential purchase could mean for free speech on Twitter and find out why Musk's asking price may have a drug-related reference. Also on the show, we report on why the price of fertilisers is skyrocketing and we get the latest on a fuel shortage in Kenya.

After Sunday's vote placed him in a tighter-than-expected run-off contest with his closest rival Marine Le Pen, French incumbent Emmanuel Macron is trying to persuade voters to keep him in the Élysée Palace. Macron has signalled that he is ready to walk back his pension reform plan, suggesting he may not raise the legal retirement age to 65 after all. Marine Le Pen wants to keep it at the current age of 62. We take a closer look at how much their plans could cost the state coffers.

Consumer prices in the US surged by 8.5 percent in March, the fastest pace since 1981. The inflation spike was fuelled by a 32 percent jump in energy costs, linked to Russia's war in Ukraine. Many American consumers are struggling to keep up with the price rises. Also in the show: Emmanuel Macron appears to waver on his pledge to raise France's retirement age to 65, and Sri Lanka enters default as its economic crisis deepens.

As European nations look for alternatives to Russian energy, efforts to shift towards renewables are picking up pace. Spain is turning to more wind power, which is already its main source of electricity. In Germany, a new floating solar power station is set to go online next month. Plus, speculation abounds following the surprise decision by Elon Musk not to join Twitter's board. One analyst says the story has turned from "Cinderella" to "Game of Thrones".

With inflation hitting multi-decade highs, the rising cost of living has become the most pressing issue for French voters. Both centrist incumbent Emmanuel Macron and far-right challenger Marine Le Pen have promised to help French consumers. Their proposals range from tripling the amount of a one-time tax-free bonus to scrapping income tax for under-30s. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer takes a closer look at some of the key economic pledges made by the two candidates who are through to the second round.

As the Russian invasion of Ukraine drags on, prices of food rose nearly 13 percent in March, up from already record high levels reached the previous month. The UN Food and Agriculture Organization warns that at least a fifth of Ukraine's cropland will not be harvested this year because of the fighting. Plus, Elon Musk promises to launch futuristic self-driving taxis at a huge opening party of Tesla's latest Gigafactory in Texas.