Business

China's Housing Minister Ni Hong has announced a series of measures to support the country's beleaguered real estate sector, including a ramping-up of lending for unfinished projects. However, the move failed to impress investors and will add to doubts over whether China will actually be able to reach its 5 percent GDP growth target for 2024. Also in this edition, FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn explains why prices on the French overseas department of Martinique are 40 percent higher than on the mainland.

As Big Tech companies consume more energy for data centres and artificial intelligence, they're under pressure to commit to clean power sources. Amazon has followed in the footsteps of Google and Microsoft in announcing new deals with nuclear power providers. Also in the show: the International Energy Agency hails the dawn of the "Age of Electricity", and we delve into the shift towards sustainability in the drinks industry. 

The 2024 Ivy Tech Prize for France's young entrepreneur of the year was awarded on Tuesday to François Vonthron, CEO and co-founder of Poppins. The app was designed to help children with dyslexia by using a video game format, with one independent study showing significant progress for users in both reading precision and speed. Some 1.3 million children in France struggle with dyslexia. FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks to Vonthron about the app's origins and features. 

Boeing is trying to shore up its struggling finances, to the tune of $35 billion. The US aerospace giant is reeling from six years of safety issues and setbacks, and has recently announced plans to cut 17,000 jobs, or 10 percent of its global workforce. Our Business Editor Kate Moody looks at Boeing's turbulent path. Also in the show: electric vehicles take centre stage at the Paris Motor Show, but are drivers ready to make the shift? 

Tech giant Google is backing US nuclear energy startup Kairos Power to build seven small reactors which will power one of its artificial intelligence data centres. The deal comes as US energy demand is on the rise because of the increasing number of data centre projects meant to support the development of AI. Also in this edition, locals in Barcelona take to the streets once again to protest the ill effects of mass tourism.

Second-hand clothing can help countries meet environmental targets and drive economic growth, but it needs support. A new report says governments need to help unleash the sector's economic potential. Karina Bolin, president of Humana People to People Italia, says it's important to focus on textiles of good quality, rather than fast fashion. Also in the show: the Nobel Prize for Economics recognises work on reducing nations' inequality, and Barcelona sees fresh protests against mass tourism. 

France's Economy and Industry ministers, Antoine Armand and Marc Ferracci, are heading to Lisieux this Monday to visit the production sites of popular headache reliever Doliprane. The visit takes place after the maker of the pill, French pharma group Sanofi, said it was in talks to sell off its consumer health business to a US private equity firm. The deal has raised fears for French health sovereignty and job security. We also take a look at the 2024 Paris Motor Show, which kicks off Monday.

France's Prime Minister Michel Barnier will hold a cabinet meeting this Thursday where he'll unveil his budget plan for 2025. His bid to reduce the deficit from 6.1 percent of GDP will be looked at closely on international bond markets and by the country's disparate political forces. Also in this edition, FRANCE 24's Liza Kaminov looks back at the life of Indian business tycoon Ratan Tata, who has passed away aged 86.

The US Justice Department has told a federal judge that it is mulling over recommending that Google be forced to sell parts of its operations, as a way to tackle the monopoly the tech giant holds over the online search market. This could be the biggest antitrust move in the country since the attempted breakup of Microsoft two decades ago. We discuss this and the latest figures detailing the US public deficit with venture capitalist and founder of Heroic Ventures, Michael Fertik.

Global trade tensions are heating up, as China announces new tariffs on imports of European brandy. The move follows the EU decision to raise tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, following similar moves by the US and Canada. Greta Peisch, a partner at Wiley Rein LLP and former General Counsel for the US Trade Representative, explains why French cognac producers are set to bear the brunt of the latest tariffs, and what's next for US-China trade relations.