Business

The trial of 27 people charged in the "Panama Papers" tax evasion and money laundering scandal opened in Panama on Monday. After the first day of hearings, we take a look back at the bombshell investigation that showed how the world's rich and famous used shell companies to avoid their domestic tax authorities. Also in this edition, FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn reports on US President Joe Biden's second attempt at cancelling student loan debt for 30 million Americans.

China's minister of commerce is in Europe for a week-long trip, with a focus on pushing back against accusations of unfair state subsidies in the Chinese electric vehicle sector. Also in this edition: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen calls out overcapacity in Chinese green energy exports as she wraps up a visit there, and Elon Musk faces off against a Brazilian Supreme Court justice.

A new report by the World Bank and the United Nations, based on remote data collection sources, shows that damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza between October and January represents 97 percent of the GDP of the West Bank and Gaza from 2022. In this edition, we see how Israel's war on Hamas has levelled housing and social infrastructure in the Palestinian territory. Plus, FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn tells us about the economic issues that came up in a phone call between US President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday.

As Senegal's President-elect Bassirou Diomaye Faye is sworn in this Tuesday, we focus on the major economic challenges facing the country. In a bid to lower Senegal's 20 percent unemployment rate, the anti-establishment leader is pushing for measures that will boost job creation and lower the cost of living. Among other things, he's pinned his hopes on the country's oil and gas reserves. Also in this edition, California's fast food workers are now among the best paid in the US, earning $20 per hour.

As Turkey's opposition celebrates a strong showing in local elections, the country's official inflation rate has crept back up to 67 percent, despite President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's shift towards mainstream economic policies. Also in this edition: Germany's legalisation of recreational cannabis aims to curb the black market, but misses out on tax revenues.

French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal signals a further tightening of unemployment benefits as France seeks to reduce an unexpectedly large budget deficit. Meanwhile, the government rules out new taxes, despite calls from French lawmakers to tax corporate windfalls and share buybacks. We take a closer look in this edition.

The collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge, after a container ship crashed into it, has cost human lives and will also have an impact on the US economy. In this edition, we look at what the closure of the port of Baltimore means for US trade, especially as the city is a key transit hub for the automobile sector. Plus, we see how Chile is looking to keep a firm hand on its lithium reserves as the metal will be crucial in building a sustainable economy.

New York's attorney general could move to seize Donald Trump's assets this Monday to cover the now $457 million fine from a civil fraud trial. Meanwhile, Trump's Truth Social network is approved to start trading on stock markets, but he may not be able to sell shares in time to cover the penalty. We take a closer look.

EU member states and lawmakers have reached an agreement on Ukrainian agricultural exports that seeks to strike a balance between the bloc's obligations towards Kyiv and the demands of protesting farmers around the continent. We look at the details of the deal and why it won't fully satisfy disgruntled farmers. Also in the show, as US senators consider a law that would force TikTok's Chinese owner to sell the app, FRANCE 24's Liza Kaminov looks at how American content producers could be affected.

President Vladimir Putin has been re-elected to a fifth term in office after a vote in which he faced no real opposition. Since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia has become the most sanctioned country in the world. But the Russian economy has proven surprisingly resilient, with defence spending priming industrial production and the country's oil and gas industry finding ways around Western sanctions and price caps. We take a closer look.