In less than two months, the UK will leave the European Union, and the threat of a no-deal Brexit keeps growing. British MPs voted last month to send Prime Minister Theresa May back to Brussels to re-open negotiations. She needs changes to the terms of their divorce deal, to get it over the line in the UK parliament. For more on the Brexit battle, Iain Begg joined us from London. He's a professorial research fellow at the London School of Economics' and European Institute.

#UK #EU #Brexit

The crisis in Venezuela has well and truly expanded beyond politics and into the ailing economy. More than two weeks after Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president, the country's main source of revenue - oil - has been hit with US sanctions. Businesses have been paralysed, and desperately needed aid has been blocked at the border. Laila Humairah has the details. For more on the story, TRT World Editor-at-large Craig Copetas joined us from Miami.

#Maduro #Venezuela #crisis

Iranians have taken to the streets across the country to mark the 40th anniversary of the 1979 revolution. But years of international sanctions have smothered its economy, and kept it from cashing-in on one of the largest oil reserves in the world. And as Paolo Montecillo reports, things are only getting worse. TRT World's Editor-at-large Craig Copetas broke down the story from Washington DC.

#Tehran #Iran #IranRevolution

The United States and China are heading back to the negotiating table to try and iron out their differences on trade. After meetings in Washington last week ended in a stalemate, officials kicked off another round of talks in Beijing. They're inching closer to a March 1 deadline to come to an agreement. If they don't, tariffs on Chinese imports are set to go up. Laila Humairah reports. Matt Maley, Managing Director and Equity Strategist at trading firm Miller Tabak, joined the discussion from Newton, Massachusetts.

#USChina #TradeTalks #TradeWars

Several US states pioneered decriminalising marijuana for patients and some European countries have followed suit. But it's still difficult for some patients to get the products they need despite laws changing.

#MedicalMarijuana #marijuana #EuropeMarijuana

Grand stately homes once held all the power in Britain. But now they're facing a fight for survival. The private owners of some of the country's most historic houses face an uphill battle to pay the costs of running and maintaining them. Jessica Omari takes a look at how they're managing to keep them operating.

#homeowners #UK #Britain

India’s new central bank governor has surprised markets by cutting interest rates, giving Prime Minister Narendra Modi the kind of stimulus he needs to stoke economic growth ahead of key elections this year. It's a sharp U-turn from October, when the Reserve Bank of India took rate cuts off the table under the previous chief, who resigned over differences with the Modi government. Neha Poonia reports. For more on this, we spoke to Sunil Poshakwale in Birmingham. He's a Professor of International Finance at the Cranfield School of Management.

#InterestRate #IndiaInterestRate #IndiaEconomy

It's known as the world's most pungent fruit, but China's growing appetite for durian is boosting income for Malaysian farmers. They want to keep the money coming in, but as Laila Humairah reports, demand for the spiky fruit has become a thorny issue.

#Malaysia #durian #fruit

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has delivered his second State of the Nation address in Cape Town ahead of national elections due by May.

He came to power a year ago following the resignation of former president Jacob Zuma, who held the job for nearly a decade. Ramaphosa has promised to tackle corruption and spur Africa's second-largest economy, but a year later, growth is weak and unemployment remains high at more than 27%. The World Bank expects South Africa's GDP to expand by 1.3% this year, which would end the recession that began in the second half of last year. But it'd still make South Africa one of the continent's worst-performing economies. Thabi Leoka joined Money Talks for this discussion. She's an independent economist in Johannesburg.

#SouthAfrica #Ramaphosa #MoneyTalks

The UK only has 50 days before it leaves the European Union. British Prime Minister Theresa May went to Brussels after the UK parliament ordered her to re-open Brexit negotiations. But after two years of talks, Britain is still facing the very real prospect of a disastrous no-deal divorce. Paolo Montecillo reports. We unpacked the Brexit battle story with Denis MacShane in London. He served as the UK's Minister for Europe under Tony Blair's Labour government.

#Brexit #TheresaMay #UK