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”.

Online scamming has reached global proportions, with an estimated 200,000 people forced to execute lucrative scams in Myanmar and Cambodia alone. This week's show delves into a criminal activity that's grown into a $500 billion per year industry that now rivals the illegal drug trade in size. Charles Pellegrin speaks to Sue-Lin Wong, The Economist’s Southeast Asia correspondent and creator of an eight-part podcast investigation into the scamming industry entitled "Scam Inc". 

The economy is a top concern for voters in Germany as they go to the polls on Sunday to elect a new government. The country has seen two consecutive years of economic contraction and this stagnation could very well continue for a third year. Its post-Covid recovery was completely stunted by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the energy crisis that followed, laying bare Berlin's deep dependence on Moscow's oil and gas. Now the return of Donald Trump as US president is further muddying the prospects for growth. To better understand how Germany got here and how it can dig itself out of this hole, Charles Pellegrin talks to Shahin Vallée, senior research fellow at the German Council on Foreign Relations. 

After the Paris AI Action Summit wrapped up earlier this week, we look at the future of AI governance and its impact on the global economy. In a bid to make up for lost time, Europe and France have pledged significant boosts in artificial intelligence investments and promised to keep regulations from stifling innovation. FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks to Sasha Rubel, European head of generative AI policy at Amazon Web Services, and Alexandre Zapolsky, the president and co-founder of Linagora, a French open-source software editor and creator of the Lucie chatbot, which has made quite a few headlines in the past few weeks.

Political leaders, tech executives, scientists and experts are gathering to Paris to discuss the future of artificial intelligence. Summit host France dreams of becoming a leader in the disruptive technology. Back in 2018, President Emmanuel Macron launched a national strategy to mobilize €2.5 billion in public and private funds to develop homegrown applications. But competition is fierce, and the US and China have a particularly strong lead over European firms. FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin talks to France's special envoy for the AI Action Summit, Anne Bouverot. In addition to being mandated with organising this event, she also presides over France's commission on artificial intelligence and has had a long career as a tech executive and researcher.

In this special edition from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Charles Pellegrin sits down with Nigeria's Industry, Trade and Investment⁣ Minister Jumoke Oduwole. They discuss the return of Donald Trump as US president and how his policies might impact the oil-rich African country, as well as the challenges of diversifying the economy and attracting investors. Following a change in administration in May 2023, Nigeria has been pursuing bold economic reforms but inflation still remains high. Will 2025 will bring the "renewed hope" promised by Bola Tinubu's administration? 

This week we're in Davos, Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, where global leaders from the world of politics, business and academia get together and assess the obstacles facing the global economy in the upcoming year. This year, all eyes are on US President Donald Trump. How will his policies impact the world in 2025?  Charles Pellegrin talks to Eurasia Group President Ian Bremmer, who publishes a global risk report each year. 

Another buzzword in Davos this year is AI. Progress in artificial intelligence is advancing at a rapid pace, but regulators are struggling to keep up and opting for a lighter touch – thereby leaving the risks and collateral damage of AI unchecked. Meanwhile, international cooperation on the topic appears to be faltering.

For more on this topic we speak to Eric Xing, who is president of the world's only AI-focused university, Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence in Abu Dhabi and co-founder of GenBio AI, a biotech company that has succeeded in developing the first phase of the world's first AI digital organism.

In the middle of Dry January, many people are trying to keep the festive cheer alive, all while staying sober. No- and low-alcoholic beverages are increasingly popular and the industry's biggest players are scrambling to find ways to profit from the trend. But how long will the buzz last? In this edition of People & Profit, FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin talks to two entrepreneurs from the sector. Jonathan Dubois is the founder of Goxoa, a French zero-alcohol beer brand specifically marketed towards athletes and the winner of the gold medal for the best non-alcoholic beer at the European Beer Challenge. Also joining us is Paul Mathew, the founder of Everleaf Drinks, a British company that produces sustainably sourced non-alcoholic aperitifs. 

The re-election of Donald Trump as US president has generated a climate of uncertainty over US economic policy for 2025, with Trump and his team vowing to increase tariffs on most imported goods. How will Trump's return impact the global economy? From the United States to China by way of Europe, we take a comprehensive look at what global trade, growth and innovation are likely to look like and what all of that could mean for the climate. Our guest is Raphaël Gallardo, chief economist at Carmignac. 

The mining industry plays a key role in the world’s energy transition, providing the critical minerals and metals needed for new, green technology. It’s also facing pressure to reduce its own carbon footprint, and protect the communities affected by its mining activity around the world. Mike Henry, chief executive officer of BHP, says the world’s largest mining company is on the frontline of those changes, increasing output while focusing on sustainability. “It’s fundamental to the BHP strategy (…) The world needs a lot more of other metals and minerals as well. If we’re to do that in a way that doesn’t have negative consequences for other aspects of environmental stewardship, we have to be setting and upholding high standards.”

Global demand for copper – a key element in green technology – is set to soar 70 percent over the coming decades, but Henry says the mining industry can keep up. "I’m confident that there is enough copper units in the Earth's crust. The question is will there be enough investment brought to bear on developing new deposits quickly enough?"

Both the EU and US are seeking to break up China's dominance in the production of many critical metals and minerals, and secure independent sources of their own. Henry says "we are seeing a resurgence in industrial policy and trade protectionism globally, and there’s been a significant increase over the past three to five years in critical minerals supply chain security, driven in some instances by geostrategic competition."

Henry also defended a huge settlement linked to the 2015 collapse of the Mariana dam in Brazil, which leaked toxic waste into nearby communities in one of the country's worst-ever environmental disasters. "BHP made a very strong commitment, immediately post that dam disaster, that we would stand behind ensuring that there was resettlement of people, environmental remediation, and compensation paid out to people impacted by the dam disaster (…) Our position on the UK case is that there are mechanisms in place for compensation to be secured in Brazil and that’s the proper avenue."

Produced by F. Boucherak, M. Cousinet and A. Dowdeswell