Turkey's second drillship has stated prospecting for oil and gas off the coast of the island of Cyprus. The Yavuz has been in the region since last month, and the Turkish energy minister and the Turkish Cypriot prime minister visited the vessel in a show of solidarity. Our diplomatic correspondent Andrew Hopkins reports from on board the ship.

#Cyprus #Turkey #Oil&Gasexploration

The world's central banks are on a cutting spree. The reserve banks of India, New Zealand, and Thailand have all announced larger-than-expected cuts to interest rates, signalling major concerns about the global economy. In India, growth has slowed to a five-year low, prompting manufacturers to lay-off hundreds of thousands of workers. The country's central bank has slashed interest rates for a fourth time this year to 5.4 percent. But as Mobin Nasir reports, it may not be enough to revive growth in the once booming economy. For more on this, Sunil Poshakwale joined us from Birmingham in the UK. He's an international finance professor at the Cranfield School of Management.

#IndiaEconomy #InterestRateCut #GlobalEconomy

The United States is tightening its economic noose on Venezuela. President Donald Trump has issued an executive order expanding sanctions to a complete economic embargo on Nicolas Maduro's government. The move further isolates Caracas as it struggles to revive oil exports and stabilise the economy. But as Mobin Nasir reports, it also threatens to make the lives of millions of Venezuelans already facing food and medicine shortages, worse. Carlos de Sousa joined us from in Zurich. He's lead economist at Oxford Economics.

#EconomicSanctions #Venezuela #MedicineShortages

Poland's economy has more than doubled in size in the 15 years since it joined the European Union. But membership has had its pitfalls - a large number of educated young Poles have moved across the continent, resulting in a labour shortage. As Paolo Montecillo reports, the government is trying to persuade them to return. And we spoke to Andrew Wrobel, founding partner of the think tank Emerging Europe. He joined us from London.

#Poland #BrainGain #Skills

Cattle have long been considered a measure of wealth across Africa -- but farmers aren't the only ones cashing in. An app developed in South Africa enables investors, eager to benefit from rising global beef demand, to buy shares in livestock from their mobile phones. Adesewa Josh reports.

#LivestockWealth #AgriBusiness #TechApps

The US has fired the latest salvo in its trade war with China -- officially labelling its economic foe as a 'currency manipulator'. On Monday, the yuan dropped below the seven-per- dollar level for the first time since 2008, sparking a sell-off on global financial markets. While stocks have regained some of those losses, the bumpy ride may be far from over, as the trade dispute threatens to become an all-out currency war. Laila Humairah reports. We got more on the story with Martin Jacques in London. He's the author of the book, 'When China Rules the World'. He's also a senior fellow at Cambridge University and a visiting professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

#CurrencyManipulation #USChinatradewar #GlobalFinancialMarkets

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi is moving to end more than 70 years of autonomy for India- administered, Kashmir.. triggering a political crisis that's threatening to boil over into conflict. The Hindu nationalist BJP government says the move will bring more central- government control to the state.. and open the region to investment and migration from other parts of India. But opposition lawmakers and many Kashmiris say it will further fuel violence. Mobin Nasir has the details. For more on this Umer Karim joined us from Ankara. He's a visiting fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.

#KashmirSpecialStatus #NarendraModi #HinduNationalists

Hydrotherapy, acupuncture and therapeutic ultrasound are popular healthcare practices not only for humans, but increasingly for their furry friends as well. As pet ownership in the United States rises, so too does the variety of treatments for cats and dogs. And as Sibel Karkus reports, many pet owners spare no expense on their pampered pooches.

#Pets #PetOwners #AnimalHealthcare

China has hit back at the US decision to impose new tariffs on $300-billion-dollars' worth of its products. On Monday, Beijing let its currency breach a level it's not hit since 2008, and ordered the suspension of purchases of US agricultural products. As Laila Humairah reports, the move will likely spark another round of tit-for-tat trade blows. For more on this story, we spoke to David Levine in Greenwich, Connecticut. He's the founder of the investment company, Odin River.

#USChinaTraWar #TradeTariffs #CurrencyManipulation

Pro-democracy Protesters have brought Hong Kong to a standstill, with a mass strike across the city.

The city's public transport has been paralysed while more than 200 flights have been cancelled as tens of thousands of people took to the streets. It's the latest in a series of public demonstrations that have rocked Hong Kong for a ninth week. Chief Executive Carrie Lam spoke publicly for the first time in weeks, warning the protests were damaging Hong Kong's economy and stability. Samantha Vadas gave us the latest.

#HongKong #ProDemocracyProtestors #CarrieLam