World Business Report

The UK has emerged from recession – but can it hold its ground? And how does it compare to the rest of the world? Elsewhere, Emily Thomas digs into the agricultural impact of the floods in Brazil, and looks back at Chinese president Xi Jinping's visit to Europe.

The tech giant Apple has faced an online backlash in response to an advert featuring books and musical instrument being crushed, to demonstrate how their creativity has been compressed into the latest iPad. Also, with music catalogue company Hipgnosis facing a takeover, is it worth a price tag of $1.6 billion? And we hear from one of the Eurovision song contest’s most successful songwriters.

Almost three-thousand cabin crew members in India have taken part in a mass sick leave in protest for better working conditions. Air India have cancelled 85 flights while travel disruption continues for hundreds of passengers. Also, on the show – find out why Korean women are reluctant to have children. Plus, you can hear how Euro Vision song writers are earning a living for the annual singing competition.

A former employee of Boeing's biggest supplier has claimed that sections of 737 Max aircraft regularly left its factory with serious defects. Spirit Aerosystems builds fuselages for the 737 Max, which are then shipped to Boeing’s own plant for final assembly. Speaking publicly for the first time, former quality inspector Santiago Peredes told the BBC that some managers actively tried to discourage him from flagging up flaws in half-finished planes. Also, Rahul Tandon, finds out why there are a lot of concerns about whether the plan to use Russian assets for weapons is legal and why not everyone was keen to see the Chinese leader Xi Jinping in Hungary.

We speak to the head of Sweden’s central bank, after it voted to cut interest rates; making it one of the first to do so in the region. The bank moved ahead of the U.S Federal Reserve for the first time this century. Elsewhere, Ed Butler looks at why Ghana could face issues with the World Bank over its LGBT policies, and why the rising prices of doner kebabs in Germany is becoming a political issue.

TikTok has filed a lawsuit aiming to block a US law that would ban in the video app in the country unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company. In the filing, the social media company called the act an "extraordinary intrusion on free speech rights" of the company and its 170 million American users. Also, Rahul Tandon, looks at the Disney financial results and finds out what can you buy with Argentina's new 10 000 pesos banknote.

Saudi’s state-oil company Aramco saw profits drop this week, but its payout to the government will still reach an eye-watering $31 billion. We see if the Saudi economy can cope with all its expensive mega projects. Also, Ed Butler explores the latest issues at Boeing, and finds out why India is becoming a hot new destination for big concerts.

On his first visit to Europe since 2019, president Xi Jinping has been talking about trade ties. The West is worried about cheap Chinese imports of electric cars. Also, Rahul Tandon finds out why global petrol demand growth could halve in 2024 and what impact the shutdown in Israel would have on Al Jazeera's business operations.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping chooses France for his first visit to the continent after a five-year absence. We get the latest. Kosovo is home to Europe’s largest zinc, lead and silver mine. We visit it to know a bit more about central Europe’s smallest economy per capita. And we hear about a new form of ghost flights and the fine that the Australian airline Qantas has just received for using them.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry is to reduce Turkish imports both to Israel and to the occupied Palestinian territories. It’s also appealing for sanctions against Turkey for violating existing trade agreements. Also, in the programme, we look at Brazil’s plans to propose a global annual tax for billionaires at the G20 in July

Last month, Ankara introduced partial restrictions citing being refused permission to drop aid into Gaza. Their response was to introduce restrictions on trade. Now, it appears that all imports and exports from Israel have been blocked. The country’s Foreign Minister, Israel Katz said this was "how a dictator behaves" "and they will lose." Also, in the programme, we look at Pandemic-era fitness darling Peloton is showing more signs of trouble, as the CEO steps down and announcing staff redundancies.

The Co-op Live Arena is Europe's biggest, with a capacity of 23,500. But fans have reacted with shock and confusion after it called off its opening concert at the last minute. We're outside the venue - and will ask what it means for the Co-op - which has bought the naming rights for the venue - but doesn't run it. Maersk, the world's second largest shipping company - says the Red Sea route might not be open for the rest of the year. Rahul Tandon asks what that means for the world's supply chain. Plus we hear from Japan as it continues to tackle a demographic issue - amid criticism from US President Joe Biden.

The US Federal Reserve says it needs greater confidence that inflation is easing before cutting interest rates. We get the latest from our correspondent in New York. The housing market is one of the industries most impacted by the higher cost of borrowing. We hear from buyers and sellers. And we have an exclusive interview with Pakistan's Finance Minister, Muhammad Aurangzeb, about the conditions the country has to meet after taking a loan from the International Monetary Fund.

Pakistan’s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb exclusively speaks to World Business Report about the latest and 24th International Monetary Fund bailout for the country - and says it should be its last. In this extended podcast version of the interview with Mr. Aurangzeb, he talks to Will Bain about the steps he thinks are necessary for Pakistan to achieve economic stability. The country's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has previously said the disbursement of $1.1 billion by the IMF will help the country achieve that, amid discussions for a new loan programme. The funding was the second and final tranche of Pakistan's $3 billion standby arrangement with the IMF which it secured last summer to help avert a sovereign default. Also, in the programme, we look at how the risk of flooding or landslides are affecting people living in Kenya.

Changpeng Zhao, the founder of the giant crypto exchange, Binance, will spend 4 months in a US prison. He had pled guilty to charges of enabling money laundering at the exchange. Ed Butler asks what it means for crypto. Meanwhile, in Argentina, a series of key reforms were passed which could spell privatization of a dozen companies. We speak to a former presidential candidate who says the reforms will spell trouble. Finally, Beijing, Brussels and Washington are preparing for a major showdown over electric cars.

Zimbabwe introduces a new currency, the ZiG, to tackle its high inflation. The Argentinian parliament has approved sweeping austerity measures which has triggered mass protests. We also hear from Ecuador, a country which in the late 90s successfully dealt with high inflation. And we hear from Bumble CEO Lidiane Jones on women in tech and the path to success.

Energy ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) major democracies have agreed to phase out the use of coal power by 2035, putting a critical timeline on the plans first announced last year in Dubai. Also in the programme, Ed Butler looks at the new spending cap set to apply to football teams in the English Premiere League. And, we hear about the retreat of the grocery courier firm Getir from Europe and the U.S, and the future of the sector.

America's top diplomat and the Chinese president have held talks in Beijing as both sides seek to stabilise relations. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned that Washington will act if China does not stop supplying Russia with items used in its assault on Ukraine. Also, in the programme, Roger Hearing finds out how Egypt authorities dealing with the inflation and who created World biggest 3D printer.

Could the US Secretary’s visit to Beijing further improve the US-China relationship that still crackles with tension and suspicion? Devina Gupta speaks to Prof Henry Gao, an expert in global trade at Singapore Management University. Over to Haiti and it is day one of the new interim government there which is trying to crackdown on gang violence we speak to the boss one of the main telecom companies - about what it is like to do business in this chaos and his hopes for stability. Messaging app WhatsApp says it will leave India if it is forced to break its end-to-end encryption, that is mandated by India's 2021 Information Technology Rules. Finally – what does it mean for a female flight attendant to get a CEO position for an Asian airline company? We find out how this story made headlines in Japan.

The US economy grew by less than forecast in the first three months of this year but inflation gathered pace, which could delay an interest rate cut. Official figures revealed the economy expanded at an annualised rate of 1.6%, far below expectations and the growth seen in the final months of 2023. Meanwhile, inflation, which measures the pace of price rises, has increased.