World Business Report

By BBC World Service

Business

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The latest business and finance news from around the world from the BBC

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India's economy bounces back

02.26.2021

The Indian economy grew 0.4% in a year, after significant coronavirus-related declines. The BBC's Nikhil Inamdar in Mumbai talks us through how different sectors have performed. And we hear from Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the world's largest vaccine maker, ...

World Business Report episodes:

02.26.2021 India's economy bounces back The Indian economy grew 0.4% in a year, after significant coronavirus-related declines. The BBC's Nikhil Inamdar in Mumbai talks us through how different sectors have performed. And we hear from Adar Poonawalla, chief executive of the world's largest vaccine maker, ...
02.25.2021 UPDATE:Etsy publishes strong results as online shopping soars Etsy publishes a strong set of results, we hear from Etsy seller Ellie Chalkley about why she uses the platform. Plus an update on how the US markets performed.
02.25.2021 China's Xi claims an end to extreme poverty China's president Xi Jinping has claimed his country has eradicated extreme poverty. Also, how true to life is the recent series Industry, portraying the life of London bankers.
02.24.2021 UPDATE:Biden takes semiconductor action The global semiconductor shortage continues to affect industries from computers through to automobiles. As President Biden signs an executive order to help look into the shortage, we hear just why there's a shortage and what can be done about them. ...
02.24.2021 South Africa budgets for Covid vaccines Coronavirus-hit South Africa has unveiled its national budget for the coming year. The BBC's Lerato Mbele in Johannesburg talks us through how tight the country's finances are, as it plans spending to help roll out Covid-19 vaccines. Also in the ...
02.23.2021 Update: Ethics of Vaccine Passports The UK Prime Minister has confirmed a review into whether the country should develop a vaccine passport. We hear from Professor Melinda Mills on the ethics and challenges of Vaccine Passports. Also in the programme, As facebook comes to an ...
02.23.2021 Sheikh Yamani dies at age 90 The long-serving Saudi oil minister Sheikh Ahmed Zaki Yamani has died in London aged 90. Mr Yamani was the public face of the 1970s oil embargo, and Julian Lee of Bloomberg, who worked with Mr Yamani at the Centre for ...
02.23.2021 Update: UK to ease lockdown restrictions Shops, hairdressers, gyms and outdoor hospitality could reopen on 12 April in England under plans set out by the PM. From 17 May, two households might be allowed to mix in homes, while the rule of six could apply in ...
02.22.2021 Israel's coast disfigured after oil spill Authorities in Israel hope to identify the source of an oil spill that has hit its coast. Zafrir Rinat of Israel's Haaretz newspaper explains the background, and Dr Corina Ciocan, senior lecturer at the Centre for Aquatic Environments at the ...
02.22.2021 Israel re-opens economy with vaccine passports A number of facilities are now able to reopen including gyms, hotels and synagogues but they require a "green passport", a certificate that can only be obtained once you have been vaccinated. But it's not all been smooth sailing as ...
02.19.2021 Bitcoin's market value tops $1 trillion Bitcoin's market value exceeds $1 trillion after its price soars. We get reaction and rest of the news of the day's trading on Wall Street from Chris Low of FTN Financial.
02.19.2021 Africa's vaccine gap The G7 group of the world's leading economies held a virtual meeting today to discuss the distribution of vaccines to Africa. We hear from Dr Mohga Kamal-Yanni, a global health expert with the People’s Vaccine Alliance. Vaccines aren't the only ...
02.18.2021 GameStop US Congressional hearing takes place Key players in the GameStop affair have appeared in front of a US Congressional Comittee. The price of the video game store's shares rose from less than $20 at the beginning of January to more than $350 in a matter ...
02.18.2021 The Australian government versus Facebook Facebook pages of all local and global news sites are now unavailable and people outside the country are also unable to read or access any Australian news publications on the platform. Facebook is responding to a proposed law which would ...
02.17.2021 Google to pay News Corp for stories Google has agreed to pay Rupert Murdoch's News Corp for content from news sites across its media empire. Meanwhile, Facebook has announced it is banning the publishing and sharing of news on its platform in Australia. This follows moves by ...
02.17.2021 The Great Green Wall International efforts are accelerating to save huge swathes of the Sahel - a belt of land running across Africa just below the Sahara - from becoming desert themselves. Millions of euros were pledged at a virtual summit last month, focused ...
02.16.2021 Update: Dow Jones hits record high As the Dow Jones records another high, we get analysis from Joe Saluzzi at Themis Trading in New Jersey.
02.16.2021 BHP's profits surge An increase in demand for iron ore has led to a sharp rise in BHP's profits, making the company the most valuable on the London stock market; BHP now expects China to churn out one billion tonnes of steel in ...
02.15.2021 UPDATE: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala named first female, African boss of WTO In her own words "history was made" today when Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala became the first woman and the first African director general of the World Trade Organization. She tells us how she plans to reform the WTO and the importance of ...
02.15.2021 Google strikes Australian news pay deal This week, the Australian parliament will debate whether to force digital giants like Google and Facebook to pay newspapers and television stations for linking to their news and features. In anticipation of this, the owner of the Seven television network ...
02.15.2021 When will Biden name the head of the FDA? Why is there no rush from the White House to install a new head of America's Food and Drug Administration despite pressures to roll out Covid vaccines? Also in the programme, Hollywood movie producers are losing big bonuses because new ...
02.12.2021 Update: The latest from the financial markets We get the latest on the financial markets from Chris Low at FHN Financial. Plus, we speak to Liz Day, senior editor of 'Framing Britney Spears', a new documentary produced by the New York Times.
02.12.2021 New German law to combat worker abuses Germany's government is said to have agreed a new law to combat worker abuses overseas. We find out what’s behind the move from Miriam Saage-Maass, vice legal director at the European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights. Also in the ...
02.11.2021 Update: Microsoft executive backs Australian government in tech war The President of Microsoft, Brad Smith, says Australia's proposals that tech giants pay for news appearing on their services, strengthen democracy by supporting a free press. We hear more from Rebecca Klar, a tech journalist from The Hill. Plus, Cary ...
02.11.2021 Oil producing nations face an uncertain future Think tank Carbon Tracker projects trillions of dollars of losses for major oil nations. Andrew Grant is Carbon Tracker's head of climate, energy and industry, and explains the basis of the predictions. And we hear how the countries involved plan ...
02.10.2021 Update: TikTok's Oracle-Walmart deal could be off The original executive order from former President Trump demanded owner ByteDance divest its US operations because of national security concerns. He gave a 12th November deadline, which has already been extended twice. Any postponement could signal a softer approach towards ...
02.10.2021 The future of share trading World Business Report Share trading platforms are sometimes accused of encouraging amateurs to make risky bets. We meet some of the people engaging in share trading on apps like Robinhood, and hear from Bill Brewster, whose partner's cousin Alex Kearns took his own ...
02.10.2021 Update: Twitter releases earnings, mulls subscription product Twitter reported slightly better than expected earnings but disappointed investors on subscriber growth numbers. The main focus of attention, though, was on plans for a new "subscription service." The company wants to use that as a way to ease its ...
02.09.2021 EU may make big tech pay for news The European Union may follow Australia in making Google and Facebook pay for news pages. We get the perspective of Maltese MEP Alex Saliba on possible new legislation. And we get reaction from the French Publishers' Association, which has already ...
02.08.2021 Myanmar police use water cannon amid mass strike Protests against Myanmar's military coup continue, as workers joined a nationwide strike.
02.08.2021 Cuba opens the door to private businesses Until now, only 127 professions in Cuba were allowed to have an element of private participation to them. The rest were controlled and administered by the government; that figure will be raised to more than 2,000 professions; we hear more ...
02.05.2021 Update: Murdoch to launch UK news streaming service The streaming service will launch this spring. We speak to James Warrington of the City AM newspaper about what the channel will offer. Plus, Chris Low of FTN Financial explains what was behind the record week on US markets.
02.05.2021 Japanese brewery Kirin pulls out of Myanmar As business weighs the cost of investing in Myanmar, Japan's Kirin brewery has pulled out. We get the perspective of Mark Farmaner, director of Burma Campaign UK, which promotes human rights in the country. And Vasuki Shastry, associate fellow of ...
02.04.2021 Shell posts $22bn loss The oil industry is having to rethink its future as the world turns from fossil fuels. Shell's big losses were the result of having to write down, or reduce, the future value of its oil fields, and Stephen Schork, founder ...
02.04.2021 Update: Golden Globes 2021 Three women have been nominated for best director at the Golden Globe awards - the first time more than one has been shortlisted in a single year. We speak to entertainment journalist Caroline Frost. Also, we are joined by Aviva ...
02.03.2021 Draghi asked to form new Italian government Former head of the EU's central bank Mario Draghi will try to form a government in Italy. Valentina Meliciani is professor of applied economics at Luiss University in Rome, and tells us whether the man credited with saving the Euro ...
02.02.2021 Update: Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is to step down as chief executive of the e-commerce giant that he started in his garage nearly 30 years ago. He will become executive chairman, a move he said would give him "time and energy" ...
02.02.2021 Prosperity comes at 'devastating' cost to nature A landmark review calls for transformational change in our economic approach to nature. We hear from Ben Groom, a professor of biodiversity economics at the University of Exeter, who was involved in the review. Also in the programme, the BBC's ...
02.01.2021 Update: Will the Olympics go ahead? Officially the games are going ahead in Japan, but on Monday the government said it would extend the state of emergency covering Tokyo and other regions struggling to contain coronavirus outbreaks by one month. So there is widespread doubt that ...
02.01.2021 Silver hits eight year peak In the latest social media-driven surge, the price of silver has increased by up to 11%. Ross Norman, chief executive of information service Metals Daily puts the price rise into context. And the BBC's Manuela Saragosa speaks to some of ...
02.01.2021 India to unveil its latest budget India is set to unveil its budget in a few hours, but which industries will get a boost from the government? We hear from Deepak Lalwani, the founder of Lalcap, a consultancy that advises on investment in India, plus we ...
01.29.2021 UPDATE: EU to introduce export controls on coronavirus vaccines made within the bloc The World Health Organization has chided wealthier countries for squabbling over coronavirus vaccine supplies, after the European Union said it would bring in export controls on vaccines produced within the bloc. The head of the WHO, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, again ...
01.29.2021 Shell Nigeria ordered to pay compensation for oil spill A Dutch court has ruled Shell Nigeria must pay compensation over a 2004 oil spill. The BBC's Anna Holligan in the Hague brings us the details. Also in the programme, General Motors has announced that it plans to move away ...
01.28.2021 UPDATE: Anger as trading in GameStop shares restricted Amateur investors are responding with outrage after trading platforms curbed buying of shares in the US games firm GameStop and other companies. The moves by Robinhood and Interactive Brokers follow days of frenzied trading that led to massive gains for ...
01.28.2021 How 5G could mean even more electronic waste What happens to old devices, with mass adoption of 5G expected to create a lot of junk? The BBC's Rob Young has been finding out where our gadgets go when we are done with them. We get the perspectives of ...
01.27.2021 UPDATE: Biden signs 'existential' executive orders on environment President Biden's orders aim to freeze new oil and gas leases on public lands and double offshore wind-produced energy by 2030. They are expected to meet stiff resistance from the energy industry and come as a sea change from Donald ...
12.25.2020 Review of the year - 2020 Covid-19 is set to prompt radical long term changes to how we live and work, so what lessons can be learnt when we eventually emerge from the pandemic? Could the changes in the way we work herald higher productivity and ...
12.03.2020 Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai detained Hong Kong media tycoon and pro-democracy supporter Jimmy Lai has been charged with fraud. We hear from Mr Lai in his last interview before being detained, and get a sense of the mood for businesses in the city from Mike ...
07.17.2020 Update: Housing stocks win the week Housing and retail have seen an uptick on the stock markets post-Covid, says our US stock expert Chris Low of FHN Financial in the US. Also, on World Emoji Day, we look at when, and when not, to use emojis ...
07.17.2020 British Airways retires entire 747 fleet British Airways is retiring all of its Boeing 747s as it suffers from the travel downturn. The airline had the largest fleet of jumbo jets in the world, and the BBC's Theo Leggett discusses whether the plane had come to ...

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World Business Report

What's World Business Report about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

World Business Report episodes:

India's economy bounces back

UPDATE:Etsy publishes strong results as online shopping soars

China's Xi claims an end to extreme poverty

UPDATE:Biden takes semiconductor action

South Africa budgets for Covid vaccines

Update: Ethics of Vaccine Passports

Sheikh Yamani dies at age 90

Update: UK to ease lockdown restrictions

Israel's coast disfigured after oil spill

Israel re-opens economy with vaccine passports

Bitcoin's market value tops $1 trillion

Africa's vaccine gap

GameStop US Congressional hearing takes place

The Australian government versus Facebook

Google to pay News Corp for stories

The Great Green Wall

Update: Dow Jones hits record high

BHP's profits surge

UPDATE: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala named first female, African boss of WTO

Google strikes Australian news pay deal

When will Biden name the head of the FDA?

Update: The latest from the financial markets

New German law to combat worker abuses

Update: Microsoft executive backs Australian government in tech war

Oil producing nations face an uncertain future

Update: TikTok's Oracle-Walmart deal could be off

The future of share trading World Business Report

Update: Twitter releases earnings, mulls subscription product

EU may make big tech pay for news

Myanmar police use water cannon amid mass strike

Cuba opens the door to private businesses

Update: Murdoch to launch UK news streaming service

Japanese brewery Kirin pulls out of Myanmar

Shell posts $22bn loss

Update: Golden Globes 2021

Draghi asked to form new Italian government

Update: Jeff Bezos to step down as Amazon CEO

Prosperity comes at 'devastating' cost to nature

Update: Will the Olympics go ahead?

Silver hits eight year peak

India to unveil its latest budget

UPDATE: EU to introduce export controls on coronavirus vaccines made within the bloc

Shell Nigeria ordered to pay compensation for oil spill

UPDATE: Anger as trading in GameStop shares restricted

How 5G could mean even more electronic waste

UPDATE: Biden signs 'existential' executive orders on environment

Review of the year - 2020

Hong Kong pro-democracy tycoon Jimmy Lai detained

Update: Housing stocks win the week

British Airways retires entire 747 fleet

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