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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Arrest after Delhi factory ...

12.09.2019

At least fourty three people are dead in a fire at an Indian school bag factory – we get the latest on what this shows about India’s wider workplace practices. Russia and Ukraine are to discuss an end to the ...

World Business Report episodes:

12.09.2019 Arrest after Delhi factory fire At least fourty three people are dead in a fire at an Indian school bag factory – we get the latest on what this shows about India’s wider workplace practices. Russia and Ukraine are to discuss an end to the ...
12.06.2019 Poland's punchy economic performance Poland has the strongest performing economy in the European Union, and we find out why. The BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw reports on Poland's successful export industries, such as car parts. Jakub Krupa is journalist and director of the Polish ...
12.05.2019 Update: Saudi Aramco up for sale Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's huge state-owned oil production company is up for sale. 1.5% of its stock will be on offer on the Riyadh stock exchange which Aramco hopes will raise $25 billion, valuing the company at $1.7 trillion. The ...
12.05.2019 Battle to do business in Iran BBC's Ivana Davidovic hears from the boss of a manufacturing company and an internet entrepreneur, both of whom contributed anonymously for fear of repercussions from talking to the BBC. Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of Boursa Bazaar, a publication which tracks developments ...
12.04.2019 Update: Peloton stock drops after 'sexist' ad A Christmas advert from exercise bike company Peloton has been widely mocked on social media as being "sexist", "out of touch", and even "dystopian". Matthew De Silva of Quartz explains how this translated to a hit to the company's share ...
12.04.2019 India's onion crisis An onion crop failure led to soaring prices in India where it can cause political turmoil. Vivek Singh of London's Cinnamon Club restaurant explains how significant the onion is to South Asian cuisine. Kolkata-based journalist Sandip Roy tells us that ...
12.03.2019 Update: Page and Brin step down at Google-parent Alphabet After two decades, Google's founders are handing control to current CEO Sundar Pichai. Larry Page and Sergiy Brin will remain on parent company Alphabet's board of directors. We get reaction from Stuart Miles, founder of tech website PocketLint. And Joe ...
12.03.2019 World Business Report We examine the pet industry that runs from pamper parlours to cutting edge vet theatres. Mindy Montney runs pet store Dog & Co in Manhattan, and discusses the growing popularity of pet clothing. We hear from Ineke Boyle who runs ...
12.02.2019 Update: Trump puts fresh tariffs on Argentina and Brazil Steel and aluminium exports from the two countries will be subject to the tariffs. President Trump says the Latin American nations are profiting as the value of their currencies are falling against the dollar. We speak to Jimena Blanco from ...
12.02.2019 The challenges of carbon trading Carbon trading is seen as a tool to combat climate change, but it has its challenges. As the UN climate change conference gets under way in Madrid, Kaisa Amaral from Carbon Market Watch explains the thinking behind emissions trading. Stefan ...
12.02.2019 COP25 to kick off in Madrid COP25, the UN's annual climate change conference, will get under way in Madrid on Monday. The conference will among other things assess the progress made on the Paris Agreement, which sets out a framework to combat climate change and limit ...
11.29.2019 Thanksgiving brings markets off all time highs The markets came off their all time highs today but yesterday had been the Thanksgiving holiday in the US and the markets closed at lunch time today, as Susdan Scmidt of Aviva Investors explains.
11.29.2019 Is it OK to stretch the truth on your resume? After a senior state department official in the Trump administration was accused of faking a cover of Time magazine with her face on it, we ask where you draw the line while ensuring your résumé stands out. We hear from ...
11.28.2019 Does capitalism have a moral dimension? We ask whether successful firms should have a moral mission beyond simply making money. The BBC's business editor Simon Jack talks us through the arguments, with contributions from the chairman of Mars Corporation, Stephen Badger, and the chief executive of ...
11.28.2019 Update: The latest from the financial markets Susan Schmidt from Aviva Investors brings us the latest news from the financial markets and we talk trade wars with Lori Ann LaRocco, business journalist at CNBC and the author of a new book called Trade War: Containers Don't Lie, ...
11.27.2019 The challenge of ransomware We ask if it's a good idea to pay a ransom if your computer is infected with ransomware. The EU's law enforcement agency Europol says it is the biggest cybercrime threat today, and Philipp Amann, head of strategy at Europol's ...
11.26.2019 Update: Record high on the markets Financial markets in the US saw record highs at the end of trading but can the run continue? We hear from Joe Saluzzi at Themis Trading in New Jersey.
11.26.2019 Can aviation go green? As the airline Easyjet pledges to become carbon neutral, we ask what that really means. Annie Petsonk works for US NGO the Environmental Defence Fund, which has been advising the International Civil Aviation Organisation on setting up a global carbon ...
11.26.2019 Update: Uber loses London licence Transport for London (TfL) has said the taxi app was not "fit and proper" as a licence holder, despite having made a number of positive changes to its operations.
11.25.2019 Is Hyperloop worth the hype? Travelling at over 300mph in a tube may be intriguing, but will Hyperloop catch on? The idea is backed by some of the biggest names in business to be the next big transport innovation – but can the dream of ...
11.25.2019 Voting out corruption in Romania Romanian voters say ongoing corruption is their main concern, as they head to the polls for an election. We ask what will this mean for Europe's second-fastest growing economy. The gloves come off in Silicon Valley as Xerox may take ...
11.22.2019 Germany's economic future We take stock of the German economy on the day Angela Merkel marks 14 years as Chancellor. Stefanie Bolzen is London correspondent of German daily Die Welt, and tells us that economic confidence is declining in Germany. And we talk ...
11.21.2019 The battle for streaming subscriptions We look at the future of streaming, with a raft of new services launched or coming soon. Reemah Sakaan heads up streaming service BritBox, which recently expanded to the UK, and discusses their plans. Industry analyst Jeff Minsky from Media ...
11.20.2019 The challenge of providing clean water Some countries struggle to provide clean water and sanitation, so how can it be improved? Some countries struggle to provide clean water and sanitation, so how can it be improved? Gillian Clayton and Dr Darren Reynolds at the University of ...
11.20.2019 Update: Juul faces mounting state lawsuits in US Juul Labs, the biggest vaping firm in the US, has been hit with a lawsuit by the state of New York. Attorney General Letitia James accused the firm of misrepresenting the safety of its products and targeting teens in advertisements. ...
11.19.2019 Could we all work a four day week? After Microsoft in Japan offered workers a four-day week we ask if the idea could spread. Ffyona Dawber is chief executive of Synergy Vision, and explains why her business has introduced a four-day work week. Lord Robert Skidelsky is an ...
11.18.2019 Update: Samsung outsources more to China and a new electric Ford Mustang Samsung wants to get Chinese companies to make more of its phones to cut costs, but it could also encourage them to do more work for its rivals in China. And Ford Motor Company has unveiled an electric version of ...
11.18.2019 What happened to WeWork? Office-sharing company WeWork has had a tough year, so we ask where things went wrong. Russ Mould of London brokers A J Bell tells us where the company figures on the scale of corporate calamities of recent years, after it ...
11.18.2019 Saudi Aramco flotation values oil giant at $1.7tn The company has published an updated prospectus for its initial public offering, seeking more than $25bn for the sale of 1.5% of its shares. We hear from Julian Lee, the oil strategist at financial data service Bloomberg. Trade unions have ...
11.15.2019 Update: Apple bans vaping apps From today the Apple app store will no longer include vaping apps. We speak to technology journalist Ina Fried about what this might mean for the vaping industry, and whether Apple was right to ban them. And we hear what's ...
11.15.2019 Should the wealthy pay more tax? We consider the idea of a wealth tax proposed by some in the US presidential race. We get reaction to the idea from ordinary Americans in New York and Los Angeles. Morris Pearl, former managing director at BlackRock, and chairman ...
11.14.2019 Update: BRICS countries hold annual summit in Brazil The countries - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa - represent 40% of the world's population and a third of global output. Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro praised the 'memorandum of understanding' between the nations, but what else was on ...
11.14.2019 The potential of elephant grass as fuel In the fight against climate change, some see potential in elephant grass as a clean fuel. Stefano Romano is chief executive of NextFuel, a Swedish company which turns elephant grass into fuel briquettes, and explains the idea. Professor Araya Asfaw ...
11.13.2019 Update: New speed limit in The Netherlands to cut pollution The Dutch government is reducing the daytime maximum speed limit from 130km/h to 100km/h from next year in an attempt to reduce emissions. We speak to Bram van Liere from Friends of the Earth. And Peter Jankovskis of Oakbrook Investments ...
11.13.2019 The impact of extreme weather on Africa What can governments and agencies do to minimise the impact of extreme weather on Africa? Dr Hassan Mohamed at the National Humanitarian Coordination Center in Somalia tells us the way repeated dry spells are hitting farmers and livestock herders is ...
11.12.2019 Update: Disney+ overcomes launch day glitches As the entertainment giant rolls out its new streaming service, we examine how much of a game-changer this could be for online video services. Plus, the Dow Jones ended trading precisely where it began the day, for the first time ...
11.12.2019 US hopes to mediate on Ethiopia dam The US is trying to mediate in a row over Ethiopia's Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile. The project has led to a dispute with Egypt over the availability of water for the country. Nader Nour el-Din is a soil ...
11.11.2019 Update: Latest from the financial markets Peter Jankovskis from Oakbrook Investments brings us the latest from the financial markets
11.11.2019 Where next for Lebanon? After weeks of street protests over Lebanon's economy, we ask where next for the country? Aya Issa is one of the owners of fuel importer Issa Petrol Trade, and tells us that whilst recent events have complicated her business, she's ...
11.11.2019 Saudi Aramco unveils some of its public listing plan Oil giant Saudi Aramco has published more details about its planned stock market flotation in a long-awaited prospectus. But there are still big questions, such as how much of the Saudi firm will be sold and even the date of ...
10.01.2019 Will robots help feed the world? With a growing global population we hear about technology that will help feed the world. Lorenzo Giovanni is senior economist at the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation in Rome, and outlines the challenges farmers around the world are facing. Ben ...
09.30.2019 Conservatives set to return to power in Austria Sebastian Kurz is set to return to the chancellorship with a strengthened mandate. But which party will he be in coalition with? The BBC's Bethany Bell tells us what's next. Also, why is the price of helium going up and ...
09.26.2019 Can we trust artificial intelligence to be ethical in a war? As the abilities of artificial intelligence continue to advance the defence industry is facing the challenge of dealing with the ethical question of computers deciding to kill the enemy in a war. Patrice Caine, the chief executive of the defence ...
09.03.2019 Update: WalMart to stop selling guns The US's largest retailer has announced it will stop selling guns and some ammunition. Also, dramatic twists and turns in UK politics, as members of Parliament choose to take control of Brexit from Prime Minister Boris Johnson - the BBC's ...
09.02.2019 Casualties of the US-China trade war As the trade war between the US and China expands, we meet some of those impacted by it. Frank Leung owns a Chinese shoe factory in Dongguan, which sells 90% of its output to the US, and tells us how ...
08.16.2019 Tackling forest fires Wildfires around the world are becoming more and more frequent and intense. We join firefighters on the ground in southern France and hear what they're doing to tackle the problem from a 45m high tower right in the heart of ...
06.06.2019 Update: Beyond Meat surpasses expectations Vegetarian burger company Beyond Meat surprises with great financial results.
05.09.2019 Uber float values company at $82bn Uber has set a price for floating its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, in what is expected to be one of the biggest stock market flotations of the year. We get reaction from Cary Leahey of Decision Economics ...
03.28.2019 Lyft to make stock market debut Ride sharing firm Lyft aims to raise around $24bn from a New York share issue on Friday. We hear from some Lyft drivers about their views on the company, and Andrew Hawkins, US technology specialist on The Verge, assesses Lyft's ...
02.01.2019 Update: Female directors bring Hollywood out of "dark ages" Women in the movie industry are living in the dark ages when it comes to representation. That's the claim from the campaign group Time's Up. We speak to one of the growing number of women bringing Hollywood up to date: ...

Older episodes

World Business Report

What's World Business Report about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

World Business Report episodes:

Arrest after Delhi factory fire

Poland's punchy economic performance

Update: Saudi Aramco up for sale

Battle to do business in Iran

Update: Peloton stock drops after 'sexist' ad

India's onion crisis

Update: Page and Brin step down at Google-parent Alphabet

World Business Report

Update: Trump puts fresh tariffs on Argentina and Brazil

The challenges of carbon trading

COP25 to kick off in Madrid

Thanksgiving brings markets off all time highs

Is it OK to stretch the truth on your resume?

Does capitalism have a moral dimension?

Update: The latest from the financial markets

The challenge of ransomware

Update: Record high on the markets

Can aviation go green?

Update: Uber loses London licence

Is Hyperloop worth the hype?

Voting out corruption in Romania

Germany's economic future

The battle for streaming subscriptions

The challenge of providing clean water

Update: Juul faces mounting state lawsuits in US

Could we all work a four day week?

Update: Samsung outsources more to China and a new electric Ford Mustang

What happened to WeWork?

Saudi Aramco flotation values oil giant at $1.7tn

Update: Apple bans vaping apps

Should the wealthy pay more tax?

Update: BRICS countries hold annual summit in Brazil

The potential of elephant grass as fuel

Update: New speed limit in The Netherlands to cut pollution

The impact of extreme weather on Africa

Update: Disney+ overcomes launch day glitches

US hopes to mediate on Ethiopia dam

Update: Latest from the financial markets

Where next for Lebanon?

Saudi Aramco unveils some of its public listing plan

Will robots help feed the world?

Conservatives set to return to power in Austria

Can we trust artificial intelligence to be ethical in a war?

Update: WalMart to stop selling guns

Casualties of the US-China trade war

Tackling forest fires

Update: Beyond Meat surpasses expectations

Uber float values company at $82bn

Lyft to make stock market debut

Update: Female directors bring Hollywood out of "dark ages"

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