World Business Report

President elect Donald Trump has announced some of his plans energy policies. He promises to overturn ban on offshore oil development, as well as launching a scathing attack on renewable energy such as wind power

Meta has decided to end its fact-checking programme on Facebook, Instagram and Threads.

And retailer Shein has been questioned by UK MP’s over the transparency of their supply chains and allegations of human rights abuses

In a video posted on Meta platforms, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg has announced ditching third-party fact-checking and replacing it with a 'community notes' system similar to that of Elon Musk's X.

The Pentagon has added Tencent, along with several other Chinese companies, to its blacklist of firms with suspected ties to the Chinese military.

And Sudan's military-led government has lifted a 10-month-long block on crude oil exports from its landlocked neighbour, South Sudan, after the two countries reached new security arrangements.

The Canadian Federation of Independent Business tells the BBC that business fears a recession as a result of Donald Trump’s tariff threats. Also, President Jo Biden announces a ban on new offshore oil and gas drilling in most US coastal waters. And how popular is New York's newly introduced congestion charge?

Shipowners have recently placed orders for a record number of new container vessels, driven by a substantial increase in profits. Nippon Steel of Japan and U.S. Steel have jointly filed a lawsuit challenging President Joe Biden’s decision to block a $15 billion acquisition deal. And the first congestion charge scheme for vehicles in the US has come into effect in New York City. Sam Fenwick hears about other places that have implemented such plans, including London and Singapore.

How will President Bidens decision to block Nippon Steel’s takeover of US Steel impact Americas relationship with Japan India’s scan to pay transactions will hit one billion by 2026-27. What does this shift to a cashless society mean for the country? And how should couples handle money related disagreements? We hear from Reema Khrais, host of 'This is Uncomfortable' podcast

US where President Biden has blocked the takeover of US Steel -- the nation's third-biggest steelmaker -- by the Japanese company Nippon Steel.

We hear from Syria as it destroys what had been its number one cash export - highly addictive amphetamines.

Also in the show, could Slovakia really be about to switch off Ukraine's electricity supply?

We hear from the owner of several restaurants in New Orleans after a man drove a truck into a crowd. The attack took place at Bourbon Street a well-known tourist hotspot that is filled with restaurants, bars and clubs.

Presenter Rahul Tandon talks to a US based bike manufacturer about the impact tariffs will have on the global economy as well as on companies like his which rely on Chinese parts to keep the business going.

We are also in Mexico to hear about its trading relationship with US with the imminent arrival of Donald Trump. The plans to curb immigration along the border between the country.

We look at how South Korea's political instability is continuing to effect its economy.

How might President-elect Donald Trump’s policies affect different parts of the world?

And as thousands of artistic works come into the public domain in the United States, we look at how people might plan to monetise them.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that his country would not allow Russia to "earn additional billions on our blood" after stopping Russian gas transit to the EU following the expiration of a five-year deal.

Ivory Coast has announced that French troops will withdraw from the West African nation, further reducing the military stake of the former colonial power in the region. Leanna Byrne asks if this also means it will lose economic influence.

And with US President-elect Donald Trump set to take office later this month, could his policies favour Indian businesses?

The flow of Russian gas through Ukraine is about to come to an end. What will happen next?

We'll look at the rollercoaster year for blockbuster films, the incredible 'Taylor Swift effect' that set the music world on fire and the unfortunate wave of layoffs that have hit the gaming industry. We’ll discuss what 2025 might look like for entertainment around the world.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

As Russian gas supplies through Ukraine come to a halt, Moldova is left grappling with an energy crisis. Former Moldovan Deputy Prime Minister Nicu Popescu and energy expert Jaime Concha join Roger Hearing to discuss the country’s options and the impact on the wider energy market.

Plus after a challenging 2024, Australia’s hospitality industry looks toward recovery in 2025. Wes Lambert of the Australian Restaurant & Café Association reflects on the struggles and opportunities for bars, restaurants, and cafes in the new year.

The prospects for both Ukraine and Russia in 2025, as President Joe Biden makes probably his last multi-billion dollar grant of aid to Ukraine's economy.

Also we're looking at tariffs today. How US companies are responding to the prospect of a Trump presidency which might be about to slap much higher import duties on goods from around the world?

And we're in Scotland where - to some local dismay - the end of year festival, Hogmanay, has partly at least been cancelled.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

Former President Jimmy Carter has died, aged 100. Leanna Byrne looks back on his life and his economic legacy with former executive director of the American Foreign Service Association, Ian Houston. Salah Elbakkoush, a former advisor to Libya's High Council of State, tells us about the country's eastern-based government approving a proposal to end fuel subsidies. Plus we hear about a Tequila 'lake' - with Mexico having 500 million litres of the spirit because of falling demand.

The US has imposed sanctions on Georgia's former prime minister and billionaire founder of the Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili.

One of crypto-currency's most notorious figures is facing extradition to the US on charges of massive fraud. What do we know about Do Kwan?

Also in the show, nine months on from the Baltimore Bridge disaster, we speak to two local companies about how they're trying to put their businesses back together.

And how volunteering - also a multi-billion dollar industry in the US though often overlooked, is back on the rise in the US.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

We explore the economic legacy of Manmohan Singh, India’s former Prime Minister, who has died. Mr Singh is credited with liberalising India’s economy.

What will happen to China's economy in 2025?

And we celebrate Britain's longest-serving Royal Mail postman, who’s leaving the service after 60 years.

The European Union threatens to impose further sanctions on Russia, as a Moscow-linked cargo ship is blamed for severing an underwater cable in the Baltic Sea. Also, we profile Manmohan Singh, the former prime minister credited with transforming India’s economy. Plus, a controversial anti-LGBT bill in Ghana could put western aid to the country at risk.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033. We would love to hear from you!

But questions have been asked whether the cargo vessel, which was under US sanctions, was heading for the Syrian coast, on a voyage to recover military supplies left by Russian forces in Syria when Bashar al-Assad fell. A maritime security and sanctions expert talks to us about how Russia's commercial fleet operates under swingeing sanctions. Also, World Business Report looks back on a year of strikes by doctors from around the world. We hear from medics in Kenya, India and the UK to find out more about why they felt they had to withdraw their labour

The decision over the potential $15 billion takeover by Japan's Nippon Steel has been referred to the President over National Security concerns. Joe Biden has 15 days to decide if the deal can go through.

Also, American Airlines grounds all US flights after a technical issue.

Plus James Wickham reflects on some of the biggest business and economics stories of the past year with Susan Schmidt, portfolio manager at Exchange Capital Resources in Chicago, and Bill Blain, Strategist and Head of Alternative Assets, Shard Capital, who's on England's south coast.

Honda and Nissan plan to merge as the two Japanese firms seek to fight back against competition from the Chinese car industry.

Joining forces would create one of the world's biggest car producers alongside Toyota, Volkswagen, General Motors and Ford.

We look at one of Donald Trump's key economic appointments.

And who is France's new finance minister?

Sam Fenwick hears from former chief operating officer & long-time executive at Nissan Andy Palmer, as Honda and Nissan announce a plan to merge. It would mean the new, world's third-biggest carmaker, which could also include Mitsubishi, could be in operation by August 2026.

Plus US President-elect Donald Trump has said the fees charged to use the Panama Canal are “ridiculous” and that it should be handed back to the US unless the “rip-off” stops. We ask if those fees have risen and whether Mr. Trump's words are an empty threat.

The big event of 2021 that will shape economies all over the world for decades to come was the COP 26 climate conference in Glasgow in November. The meeting saw a deluge of promises, but what was actually achieved? Martin Webber speaks to Tim Gould, chief energy economist at the International Energy Agency and economist Irwin Stelzer, from the Hudson Institute in the United States.

It was another boom year for the pharmaceutical industry as it crafted the vaccines that have saved so many lives. Of the 8 billion coronavirus vaccinations worldwide, one billion have been delivered by the US logistics company, UPS. We hear from Wes Wealer, President of UPS healthcare.

And small business owners have had a bleak time for much of the past year. But many of those that have survived now feel optimistic. We hear from the owner of the Aroma speciality coffee shop in Bologna in Italy, Cristina Caroli, about her year.

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 happier people in the future?

We hear the stories of the people who managed to thrive during a very difficult year, including the milkman who saw a boom in deliveries and the dancer who found work in South Korea when the London stage went dark.

Martin Webber is joined by Professor Devi Sridhar who holds the Chair of Global Public Health at the University of Edinburgh; economist Roger Bootle, of Capital Economics; Robert Reich, former Labour Secretary under President Clinton; Tomas Philipson, who was Chair of the Council of Economic Advisors under Mr Trump; and actor Thomas Inge who is currentl starring in the musical Cats in South Korea.