The World Today

The International Monetary Fund has warned that a continued economic stagnation around the world is fuelling more populist sentiment against trade and immigration. The IMF has singled out Britain's shock decision to leave the European Union and the rise of Donald Trump in the United States as two key areas of uncertainty. The IMF has left its outlook for global growth unchanged from the July update at 3.1 per cent for 2016.

The worst Caribbean storm in around a decade has battered parts of Haiti, causing widespread damage and flooding. It is not yet clear how many people have died as a result of Hurricane Matthew. It is the latest in a string of disasters to hit Haiti, one of the world's poorest countries.

Victoria's Minister for Roads and Road Safety today inspected the first self-driving car to be developed in Australia. The State Government has invested $1.2 million in the joint venture with German multinational Bosch. The company has been developing the vehicle at its Australian plant.

A study has found that Australia's car manufacturing workers are not prepared for the shutdown of the industry. The Australian Catholic University is tracking 400 Victorian car and auto components workers in the lead-up to the closure of Ford's Melbourne plant on Friday. Tens of thousands of workers will lose their jobs as Toyota and Holden shut their Australian plants next year.

Russian tennis star Maria Sharapova has had her two year doping ban cut from two years to 15 months. The former world number one was banned from the sport after failing a drug test at the Australian Open earlier this year. The new ruling means Sharapova is free to return to the court in time for next year's French Open in May. Maria Sharapova says she's happy to be returning to the sport earlier than expected. Her lawyer says today's decision is damning for the ITF and WADA.

Democrat presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's running mate, Tim Kaine, has exchanged heated words with his Republican counterpart and Donald Trump running mate, Mike Pence. It's their only debate of the campaign. The two presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, will meet again for their second of three debates next Monday.

Hopes for deaf people to serve on Queensland juries have taken a backwards step after a loss in the High Court. The Court has today dismissed an appeal from a deaf woman who argued she'd been discriminated against when excluded from a Queensland jury. It found the law does not permit an Auslan interpreter to be present during jury deliberations. Now, the Queensland Government is under pressure to alter its legislation.

There is growing concern over unprecedented demand for legal services and the justice system's ability to cope. A review into Victoria's justice system released this week highlights how legal advice is not being sought by those who most need it. The state's Federation of Community Legal Centres says the need for support has reached extraordinary levels and that the system is under pressure nationally.

The US has formally ended talks with Russia aimed at reducing hostilities in Syria, saying Moscow continues to actively support the bombardment of civilian targets in the war-torn country. For its part, Russia has announced it is pulling out of a post Cold War agreement with the US on reducing stockpiles of weapons grade plutonium.

The Century Foundation's Michael Wahid Hanna joins the program to discuss the breakdown of Russian and US cooperation on Syria. He says the situation is very bleak and predicts the war will continue for years.