Business

Volkswagen staff have sounded the alarm over plans to slash "tens of thousands" of jobs, cut wages and close three factories across Germany. The carmaker's employee council said management had described the cost-cutting plans as necessary. If confirmed, the restructuring will mark a symbolic blow to German industry. Also in the show: FRANCE 24 reporters in Malaysia meet a former TikTok employee who has been replaced by artificial intelligence, in a controversial move by the Chinese-owned app.

For the first time since 2009, Japan's ruling coalition, led by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, has lost its majority. In this edition, we look at the role played by the cost-of-living crisis in the result and what this could mean for the Japanese economy going forward. The country's central bank, the Bank of Japan, and its policy of hiking interest rates is coming under particular pressure.

A lawsuit has been filed against McDonald's over an E. coli outbreak linked to its quarter pounders. Meanwhile, Tesla's stock soared 21 percent after Elon Musk surprised investors with a strong sales forecast. Also, Boeing's crisis just got worse after factory workers voted to extend a crippling strike. Plus, a Polish radio station has replaced journalists with AI presenters.

Boeing workers have voted to continue their strike, with 64 percent of them rejecting the latest offer that included a 35 percent wage hike over four years. The strike, now running for nearly six weeks, is worsening the planemaker's already dire financial situation. Boeing logged more than $6 billion in net loss in the latest quarter. But first, the UNDP warns that Lebanon's economy could shrink as much as 9.2 percent in 2024 if the war continues through the end of the year. 

Boeing has reported a staggering $6.2 billion loss for the third quarter, as it grapples with its ongoing financial, safety, and reputational problems. New CEO Kelly Ortberg said the American aerospace giant is at a "crossroads", as he seeks to turn the page on years of crises. Aviation expert Anita Mendiratta tells FRANCE 24 that Ortberg faces an uphill battle: "What has been very reassuring is that he's owning the opportunity to really take the Boeing company, brand, and the industry into a stronger future."

Tokyo Metro, the main operator of the Japanese capital's sprawling underground rail network, made a stellar market debut on Wednesday in the country's biggest IPO in six years. Its shares rose 45 percent on its first day. Plus, FRANCE 24's correspondents visit Las Vegas to report on the state of the economy in the key swing state of Nevada. 

With just two weeks to go before American voters choose their next president, Kamala Harris is leading Donald Trump by a wide margin in the money race, having raised nearly $1 billion in a single quarter. But first, as Israel continues its war against Hamas, a new UN report warns the impact of the conflict could set back development in Gaza by 69 years and is pushing three quarters of Palestinians into poverty this year. 

Cuba has restored 50 percent of electricity to Havana following Hurricane Oscar, but a chronic lack of fuel and deteriorating infrastructure means the crisis is not over yet. Also, the AI boom has caused a surge in electricity demand and in Taiwan, atomic energy could soon be making a comeback as a result. Plus, victims of Brazil’s 2015 Mariana dam collapse took their case to a UK court this Monday.

A long-awaited civil trial related to one of Brazil's worst environmental disasters, the 2015 Mariana dam collapse, is getting underway in London. More than 620,000 people, including relatives of 19 people killed in toxic mud, are having their cases heard in one of the largest lawsuits in English history. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer speaks with Tom Goodhead, CEO of the law firm representing the claimants, about the significance of this trial. 

European Central Bank policymakers have decided to lower interest rates by a quarter percentage point, a third such cut this year as inflation across the 20-member eurozone came down to 1.7 percent in September. ECB President Christine Lagarde says that while the bank does not expect a recession, downside risks remain amid heightened geopolitical tensions. Plus, China announces a fresh stimulus package to prop up its faltering property sector.