Business Matters

For the very final time, Business Matters on the BBC World Service, Rahul Tandon is joined by many of our regular guests, from India, Pakistan, Singapore, Canada and the United States. They discuss some of the biggest themes we covered, including, the COVID-19 pandemic, a cost of living crisis driven by a pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Donald Trump becoming the President of the United States.Production team: Rahul Tandon, Ahmed Adan and Stephen Ryan(Photo: A medical worker in full COVID-19 personal protective equipment in Shanghai, May 2022. Taken during lockdown in China. Credit: Edward Lawrence/BBC)

Brazil's former president, Jair Bolsonaro, has been sentenced to more than twenty-seven years in prison after the Supreme Court found him guilty of attempting a coup when he lost the 2022 election. More than 300 South Koreans who were arrested in the raid in the Hyundai plant in Georgia have now been released from detention and flown to their country. And how can this affect the economic relations between both countries? London's underground rail system – the Tube – has been closed for five days by a strike over pay and conditions for train drivers, and this has been very stressful for commuters, but more than that, it has been very damaging for businesses. And Roger Hearing hears about the use of artificial intelligence to write speeches for politics and business and how you can detect if it's written by AI or a human. Throughout the program, Roger will be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world – Nga Pham, a journalist and filmmaker based in Taipei, although she will be joining us today from Hanoi in Vietnam - and Stephanie Hare, a researcher on technology and ethics in London.

US tech billionaire Larry Ellison briefly becomes the world’s richest person after shares in his business Oracle soar in early trading on the New York Stock Exchange. We examine how he has built his business empire which is valued at $393bn.We are in Mexico City to hear about protests about the increasing numbers of outsiders coming in and pushing up things like house prices , and the impact this having on local residents.We hear about some of the challenges facing Gen Z, those born in the late 1990’s and early 2000s as they head into the world of work.Presenter Roger Hearing talks to Washington based journalist Rema Rahman from the website The Hill , and Rintaro Nishimura Associate at the Asia Group in Tokyo about these and some of the other major business stories from around the globe.

The number of jobs created in the United States has been revised down. Not as many people got jobs as expected during the last months of Joe Biden's presidency or the opening period of Donald Trump's return to the White House. It suggests the world's largest economy is weaker than expected, but could it also mean Donald Trump will get his way and the Federal Reserve cuts interest rates? We're joined by the CBC's Takara Small in Toronto, Canada, and Stratagraph's Travis Paterson in Jakarta, Indonesia, to discuss how businesses have been impacted by the increasing use of tariffs by both the US and other governments. Roger Hearing finds out about the impact on the Korean community in the US state of Georgia after the detained Hyundai workers are set to be flown home. Elsewhere, there's a new French prime minister, the fifth in two years, to try to pass a budget. It was promised to be awe-dropping - but what has Apple unveiled at its latest event? And how a high murder rate is threatening tourism on a Caribbean island paradise. Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Asia and the USA.

Rupert Murdoch has bought out three of his children to finally settle a long running family dispute over the future control of his global media business. The US$3.3bn deal sees the media mogul essentially hand his empire to eldest son Lachlan. Andrew Peach is joined by Peter Morici in Maryland, USA, and Nassim Khadem in Melbourne, Australia, with the ramifications still being felt after French MPs ousted prime minister François Bayrou over plans to deal with the country's deficit by cutting public spending.Elsewhere, we hear why Mexico is considering enacting new tariffs on countries they don't have a trade agreement with, including China.And Donald trump's controversial "gold card" visa, offering the super rich permanent residence in the USA for just US$5m.Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Asia and the USA.

We break down the latest US jobs report, which showed hiring in America stalled last month. We explain what that means for the Federal Reserve which has come under immense pressure from the White House to cut interest rates. Plus: Russia's president Vladimir Putin says he wants to rekindle business relationships with the United States. But does the US president share that view? And will sanctions put a stop to that ambition before it even begins? We talk to a former US diplomat to Moscow for those answers.We're on the ground in the US state of Georgia where immigration agents have arrested nearly 500 people during a raid on a Hyundai battery-production facility. It's the biggest workplace raid of President Donald Trump's second term.Also, McDonald’s is taking a stand on tipping. It says all restaurant workers should get a full minimum wage rather than relying on tips to boost a smaller amount of pay. And we look at a growing list of senior executives who've hidden office romances and lost their jobs because of it.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

The US president's pick Stephen Miran is nominated to serve as governor of the central bank. Will he cut interest rates?And, as the US Justice Department launches a criminal investigation into another Fed governor, is Donald Trump closer to controlling the US Central Bank?Also, we talk to a designer and founder of the Very Creative Agency in New York, who's gone viral on social media after hitting the thrift trip jackpot.Is it the end of the illegally streamed sport programmes? We look at the closure of Streameast - the world’s largest illegal sports streaming site.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

Nationwide protests sweep Indonesia over police violence and government austerity measures. In the US, artwork once owned by Leonardo DiCaprio and linked to the 1MDB scandal is up for auction.Jamaicans cast votes in parliamentary elections. We examines some of the key issues facing the electorate.A Chilean drinks company takes up a court case against actor Pedro Pascal over the brand name ‘Pedro Piscal’.In the Ivory Coast, UNESCO adds the making of attiéké, a beloved cassava side dish, to the world’s cultural heritage list.Presenter Roger Hearing is joined throughout the programme by two guests on opposite sides of the world - Katia Dmitrieva is the Asia Economics Correspondent for Bloomberg News and Mike Malone is a Veteran Silicon Valley journalist and host of the Silicon Insider podcast.

US President Donald Trump says Washington DC is a 'safe space' after announcing he will send National Guard troops into Chicago to deal with crime. What do businesses think?Russia and China are working together on a major new gas pipeline deal.Google won a court case meaning it doesn’t have to sell its popular Chrome web browser.In Italy, the Venice film festival is taking place. We hear about the big budgets, CGI debates and new movies.And could you go a month without spending? We hear about 'No Spend September', the social media trend about saving money.Roger Hearing will be joined throughout the programme by two guests on opposite sides of the world - Tony Nash, CEO of Complete Intelligence in Houston, and Rachel Cartland, author and commentator, in Hong Kong.

Guyana, one of the world's fastest-growing economies, votes on its oil future as tensions rise with neighbour, Venezuela which claims almost half its territory.Is the English Premier League in an inflation spiral? Roger Hearing investigates, as record-breaking transfer fees dominate the headlines.Meanwhile, Swiss food giant Nestlé has sacked its CEO over his romantic relationship.We find out what economic forces are driving the war in Myanmar.And 40 years after the Titanic wreck was discovered, we explore how a tragic shipwreck became a booming global industry, from movies and museums to podcasts.Roger will be joined throughout the programme by two guests on opposite sides of the world - Sergio Guzman is Director of Colombia Risk Analysis in Columbia and Jessica Khine is a Business Consultant from Malaysia.