Google's parent company, Alphabet, is facing yet another lawsuit for its alleged anti- competitive behaviour. Several US states are suing the digital giant for manipulating the online market for advertisements, destroying competition and exploiting consumers. The charges come amid rising calls for tougher regulations for internet and social media companies, and could force the break-up of Google, Facebook and other tech giants. For more on this, William Kovacic joined us from Clifton, Virginia. He's law professor specialising in anti-trust at the George Washington University. He is also the former chair of the Federal Trade Commission.

#Google #AntiCompetitiveBehaviour #Facebook

Most large-scale events have been cancelled this year. So some graduates in the UK are opting to defer their walk across the stage. But others are accepting their diplomas online. For businesses involved in graduation day, this year has been a difficult one. Though some are learning to adapt. Natalie Powell reports.

#UKgraduation #OnlineServices #SocialDistancing

South Africa’s middle class is shrinking, as people are getting poorer. That’s according to leading debt counsellors. They say the sluggish economy, worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic, is forcing people to downgrade their lifestyles. And many of those still holding on to middle-class status are doing so by taking out unsecured loans. Ntshepeng Motema takes a look at the struggles and resilience of South Africans.

#SouthAfrica #MiddleClass #Covid19

Several rich economies have begun inoculating their populations after securing supplies of COVID-19 vaccines. But while the US, UK, EU and Gulf countries have managed to pre-order stockpiles of the drugs, poorer countries are having to wait longer to immunise people. It's threatening to prolong the pandemic in regions where healthcare services are already strained. Dr Faisal Shuaib joined us from Abuja, Nigeria. He's Executive Director at the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency.

#COVID19 #DevelopingEconomies #COVAX

Australia is asking the World Trade Organization to review Chinese tariffs on barley. The crop is used to make beer and feed livestock. And under normal conditions, Australia earns about a billion dollars a year selling it to China. But this year, relations between China and Australia are anything but normal. Canberra's latest move against Beijing threatens to worsen already-strained relations with its biggest trading partner. Paolo Montecillo reports. For more, we spoke to Paul Frighters in London. He's a professor of well-being economics at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

#WorldTradeOrganization #BarleyTariffs #ChinaSanctions

From December the 23rd to the 27th up to three families will be allowed to form a 'Christmas Bubble' in the UK. As for large office parties, they'll have to move online if they're going to happen at all. But some companies are cashing-in on Christmas 2020 by offering festive deliveries and many of these delivery businesses, have seen major growth all year round. Natalie Powell reports.

#VirtualPartyPacks #Deliveroo #Christmas

In China, the release of Sinovac's Phase III trial results for its coronavirus vaccine puts it one step closer towards mass use, globally. But Coronavac has already been widely administered in China, along with drugs developed by the other front-running Chinese vaccine manufacturer, Sinopharm. Patrick Fok spoke to a person who's had the jab.

#Sinovac #ChineseVaccine #Sinopharm

Turkey and Azerbaijan are building a pipeline to supply natural gas to the city of Nakhcivan. The project will be jointly operated by Ankara's BOTAS Petroluem Pipeline Corporation and Baku's State Oil Company. The pipe runs 85 kilometres from Turkey's eastern city of Igdir to Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan. It will transport around 500 million cubic metres of natural gas a year. Matthew Bryza is a former US ambassador to Azerbaijan. He told us what the project means in geopolitical terms.

#NaturalGas #AnkaraPipeline #Azerbaijan

President-elect Joe Biden has promised to restore Americans' faith in democracy after the Electoral College confirmed his victory. The state-by-state vote has all but ended President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn the results. Biden says the president's lawsuits amount to a refusal to respect the will of the people. Floyd Cush reports. Joseph Foudy joined us from New York. He's an associate professor of economics at New York University.

#ElectoralCollege #JoeBiden #DonldTrump

The European Union is once again flexing its muscle on Big Tech, threatening to break-up companies that continue to engage in anti-competitive behaviour. EU regulators are also looking to crack down on abusive social media content, announcing two new bills that would empower them to impose massive fines. The new laws could pose the biggest challenge to the unbridled rise of tech firms. Paolo Montecillo has more. For more, we spoke to Maria Rua Aguete. She's the executive director of the technology research firm Omdia in London.

#EU #OnlineContent #Facebook