The World Health Organization estimates that about 15% of the world’s population lives with some kind of disability. Often, these affect educational and economic opportunities. In Kenya, two self-taught inventors are looking for ways to give those in need a helping - robotic - hand. Miranda Lin explains.

Google and Facebook are threatening to leave Australia over a proposed law that would force digital platforms to pay news outlets for carrying their content. Google has agreed to pay tens of millions of dollars to Australian media companies.. but it says these deals should not be mandated by the government, which is currently debating the legislation. And as Mobin Nasir reports, the tussle is threatening thousands of small businesses that rely on the internet to find clients. We got more from Steve Keen, who's an economist and honorary professor at University College London. He joins us now from Bangkok.

#Australia #Google #Facebook

Saudi Arabia plans to terminate contracts with foreign companies unless they move their regional headquarters to the kingdom. This puts the country in direct competition with its ally, the United Arab Emirates, which is also home to the region's prime commercial hub, Dubai. Saudi Arabia is giving multinationals until 2024 to set up regional offices in Riyadh or be barred from lucrative government contracts. The kingdom wants to replicate the success of - and possibly replace - the UAE as the region's most business-friendly country. We were joined by Ellen Wald, she's the president of energy consulting firm, Transversal. She's also the author of the book, Saudi Inc and she joins us from Jacksonville, Florida.

#SaudiArabia #RegionalOffices #BusinessFriendly

Freezing weather in the US has boosted energy markets, including oil and gas prices.. as demand for fuel and power surges. A winter storm gripping parts of the South has halted oil wells and refineries in Texas, the biggest crude-producing state in the US. The weather has also forced restrictions on natural gas and crude pipeline operators. Around 3-million homes and businesses have been in the dark, as the state's electricity suppliers impose rotating blackouts to cope with the surge in demand. Paolo Montecillo has more. For more, wee spoke to Ellen Wald. She's the president of the energy consulting firm Transversal Consulting, and joins us from Jacksonville in Florida.

#RollingBlackouts #BrentCrude #StateOfEmergency

In the wake of COVID-19, "Build Back Better" has become a worldwide political slogan. And now in the US, it's turning into action a few weeks into President Joe Biden's administration. But what does Build Back Better mean, and how will it affect the US economy? Stephanie Sprague explains.

#JoeBiden #USgovernment #CleanEnergy

Donald Trump can lay claim to another historic, albeit dubious, achievement. He's the first US president to be acquitted in an impeachment trial TWICE. But he's not in the clear yet. As Paolo Montecillo reports, Trump still faces legal troubles that could hound him well into retirement. For more, we spoke to Scott Lucas. He's a professor of international politics and American Studies at the University of Birmingham.

#LegalIssues #Impeachment #DonaldTrump

Turkey's lira hit a 6-month high against the dollar on Monday. It rallied 1-percent and was valued below 7 lira against the greenback for the first time since early August.

It extended three months of gains after JPMorgan raised its expectations for Turkish economic growth to 4.6-percent this year. The currency has rallied more than 20-percent since a new central bank governor and finance minister were appointed in November. Turkey's central bank has since hiked the policy rate twice to 17-percent from 10-and- a-quarter percent. It's expected to keep the rate steady when its monetary policy committee meets on Thursday. For more on this we spoke to economist Taha Arvas who joined us from Istanbul.

#TurkishLira #USdollar #Economy

For the first time in its 26-year history, the World Trade Organization will be led by a woman. Nigeria's former finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has secured support from all member states of the global trade regulator. She'll take office as calls increase for an overhaul of international trade rules. Mobin Nasir reports. For more on this, Scott Morris joined us now from Washington. He's a senior fellow at the Center for Global Development and specialises in governance issues at international institutions like the World Trade Organization.

#WTO #NgoziOkonjoLweala #TradeRegulator

The UK's exit from the EU, is hitting snags once again. The bloc is saying London has still not fulfilled its commitments under the divorce deal. It's denied a request to waive border checks on essential items. Separately, it hasn't ratified the post-divorce trade deal. And says it needs more time to review its implications. So, while lawmakers on both sides continue with their wrangling -- it's the British markets and exporters that are suffering. Mobin Nasir has that story. For more on this, Raj-neesh Narula joins me live from London. He's professor of international business at the University of Reading.

#UK #EU #Brexit

In an expansion of a Nile River clean-up project, waste collected from the world's longest waterway will now be recycled. The scheme's expansion is creating jobs and helping the impoverished communities along the Nile river banks who've been hit hard by Egypt's recent economic woes. Shoaib Hasan has the story.

#NileRiver #PlasticRecycling #Jobs