US President Donald Trump's threat to drag the movie world into his trade wars has rattled an industry that is still recovering from the Covid-19 shutdown, historic Hollywood strikes and the disruption caused by streaming platforms like Netflix. Will Los Angeles end up like Detroit, the former global capital of the auto industry, or will it bounce back from this crisis? Charles Pellegrin discusses this and more with Serge Siritzky, a French film producer as well as an expert in film finance; and Stuart Nash, a former New Zealand minister for economic development. While in office he oversaw over $650 million in film subsidies to attract huge Hollywood productions such as "Avatar" or "A Minecraft Movie".

Crippled by international sanctions, and decades of mismanagement and corruption, the Iranian economy has gone through what’s been described as a lost decade of economic growth. As the national currency plummets and purchasing power declines, ordinary Iranians are struggling to make ends meet and experience regular power outages. Could the recent nuclear talks between Teheran and Washington eventually lead to a new agreement? FRANCE 24’s Charles Pellegrin speaks to Vali Nasr, Professor of International Affairs and Middle East Studies at Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies. He is also the author of “Iran’s Grand Strategy: A political history” published by Princeton University Press.

Global tourism has fully recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic, but dark clouds are still hanging over the industry. High transport and accommodation costs, geopolitical instability and the increasing likelihood of extreme weather events are among the key challenges the sector is facing. FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks to Shaikha Al Nowais. She's a travel executive with decades of experience working at the UAE-based Rotana Group and is also a candidate for the role of UN World Tourism Organization Secretary General.

Our guest puts a strong emphasis on sustainability, inclusivity and resilience. But is this possible in an industry that caters both for mass tourism and an extremely wealthy clientele that's responsible for an outsized proportion of carbon emissions?   

As the US and the world mark Donald Trump's 100 days in office, we look at what the milestone means for business. The US president ran in large part on a pledge to "Make America Wealthy Again", promising that his tariffs – a vestige of the 19th century, for most economists – would return manufacturing jobs to America and trigger a stock market boom. Can this strategy work? Or is it hurting both the US and the global economy? FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks to Isabel Guzman, the founder of Avenida Advisors and a former administrator of the Small Businesses Administration during the Biden presidency. She also chairs the Global Risk Advisory Council, which maps out and assesses reputational risks for companies and organisations. 

Countries that once followed the gospel of free trade and liberalism are changing tack and focusing on national interests before anything else, with Donald Trump’s America being a case in point. Our business editor Charles Pellegrin takes a deep dive into how geopolitics is reshaping the global economy with David Baverez. He's a French investor based in Hong Kong and author of the book "Bienvenue en économie de guerre" or "Welcome to the wartime economy", published in French by Novice. 

The Baltic nation of Estonia has been calling for a significant boost in EU defence spending for years and is now seeing that call heeded. Sharing a 300-kilometre border with Russia, Estonia would be on the front lines in case of an invasion. Tallinn has committed to bump up the country's defence spending to 5 percent of GDP by next year – well above the current NATO commitment of 2 percent. For more, FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks to Estonian Foreign Affairs Minister Margus Tsahkna. 

Watch moreEstonian city of Narva prepares for potential Russian invasion

From food delivery and ride-hailing apps to handywork and domestic services, millions of people around the globe work within the so-called gig economy – a term applied to independent contractors or freelancers, usually on digital apps. While the flexibility offered by online gig platforms can be attractive, it comes at the cost of limited job security, lack of social protection and sometimes exploitation. But gig workers are getting organised with protests and even some advances. To better understand the plight of these workers, Charles Pellegrin talks to Jamie Woodcock, a senior lecturer in digital economy at King's College London and author of "The Fight Against Platform Capitalism: An Inquiry into the Global Struggles of the Gig Economy".

Also in the programme, we bring you a report from our correspondent in China, where all three of the country's top delivery platforms almost simultaneously announced new social security benefits for their drivers in March. 

The fight against malnutrition, the world's leading cause of infant mortality, was chronically underfunded even before the US halted its funding for humanitarian aid and development. As Paris hosts the Nutrition for Growth summit this week, we look at how healthy eating isn't just a developmental issue but also an economic one. Every dollar invested in nutrition generates a return of 23 dollars, while malnutrition can cost up to tens of billions of dollars to the economy. So why is hunger and malnutrition still an issue today and how do we generate the political will to fix this problem? Charles Pellegrin talks to Joel Spicer, president and CEO of Nutrition International and Cleo Kawawaki of the Asian Development Bank.

Watch moreGlobal nutrition crisis: UNICEF head insists that investing in children 'pays off forever’

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has released its Global Debt Report for 2025, and the conclusion is that the world is practically drowning in debt at record levels. As European nations pledge to boost their defence spending in the face of a new transatlantic security reality, and as burgeoning trade wars threaten to raise prices faster, are countries able to achieve growth while keeping borrowing in check? FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer speaks to Carmine Di Noia, the OECD's Director for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. 

Since it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, Russia's economy has proved to be robust despite sanctions, inflation and labour shortages. But how long can it last? Charles Pellegrin takes a deep dive with his guest Richard Connolly, associate fellow and specialist on the Russian economy at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in the UK. He is also the author of a commentary titled “Russia’s Wartime Economy isn’t as Weak as it Looks”.