World Business Report

As a long running dispute over territory in Thailand and Cambodia escalates, we ask how trade between the two countries has been affected and how important it is to the economy of the region.We're also looking at Volkswagen's fortunes, with both changing tariffs and new competition to deal with. And how tech is helping to complete a 143 year construction project in Barcelona.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

President Donald Trump claims further renovation budget overruns adding pressure on US Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to lower interest rates. Roger Hearing hears reaction from Loretta Mester, the former Cleveland Fed President. Profits plummet at LVMH, the makers of luxury champagne, jewellery and expensive handbags. And as women’s football has been dominating the sporting agenda this week, both in Africa and Europe, we look at where women’s teams must compete for investment and coverage with the men.

China's President Xi Jinping calls for mutual trust and stronger communication with the EU as he welcomes the Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to Beijing. The leaders have discussed trade imbalances, tariffs and critical minerals among other issues.Meanwhile the European Investment Bank starts its Boost Africa initiative in an effort to unlock venture capital support for entrepreneurship across the continent. Plus Andrew Peach hears how the toy industry is responding to higher costs because of US tariffs.You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voicenote: +44 330 678 3033.

The European Union is racing to secure a trade agreement with President Donald Trump to avert sweeping tariffs. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has expressed optimism, saying “decisions” could be near. We also examine why children’s films are once again powering Hollywood’s box office.And how mounting pressure is pushing gaming platforms to censor adult content.

President Trump and the First Lady Melania Trump have visited central Texas today to survey where flash floods killed 120 people last weekend. As search teams continue to search for more than 160 people still missing, Mr Trump and his wife met families affected by the floods and first responders.Dr Sam Brody, Director of the Institute for Disaster Resilient Texas and a Professor at Texas A&M University discusses how disasters like this might be avoided in the future.Also on the programme, what impact could the 35% tariffs for Canada announced by Trump yesterday have on businesses there and why the post-covid trend of converting office buildings to homes is gathering momentum in New York.

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.