France's Prime Minister Michel Barnier will hold a cabinet meeting this Thursday where he'll unveil his budget plan for 2025. His bid to reduce the deficit from 6.1 percent of GDP will be looked at closely on international bond markets and by the country's disparate political forces. Also in this edition, FRANCE 24's Liza Kaminov looks back at the …

The US Justice Department has told a federal judge that it is mulling over recommending that Google be forced to sell parts of its operations, as a way to tackle the monopoly the tech giant holds over the online search market. This could be the biggest antitrust move in the country since the attempted breakup of Microsoft two decades ago. We discus…

Global trade tensions are heating up, as China announces new tariffs on imports of European brandy. The move follows the EU decision to raise tariffs on Chinese-made electric vehicles, following similar moves by the US and Canada. Greta Peisch, a partner at Wiley Rein LLP and former General Counsel for the US Trade Representative, explains why Fren…

China's economic planners held a highly anticipated press conference this Tuesday to announce new measures that could boost the country's lagging consumer demand. But the measures fell short of expectations for investors on the stock market, who were expecting major stimulus instead. Also in this edition: Samsung apologises for missing expectations…

Since the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023, Israel's economy has struggled to weather the storm of the war in Gaza. Some of its sectors, like defence and technology, have continued to grow while others, like tourism, agriculture and construction, have been badly hit. Meanwhile, the scale of destruction in the Gaza Strip means it will take decad…

US crude oil jumped slightly after US President Joe Biden said he was "discussing" an Israeli strike on Iranian oil facilities. Chaos builds for shippers as US dockworkers enter their third day of strike action. In several cities across the US, the cost of childcare is overtaking the cost of housing, weighing heavily on families, particularly women…

OpenAI, the company behind artificial Intelligence chatbot ChatGTP, has secured new financing to the tune of $6.6 billion from a variety of investors. The start-up is now valued at $157 billion, on par with such groups as Uber or AT&T. It will have to commit to converting to a for-profit company within two years. Also in this edition: Argentinian s…

Global benchmarks for oil prices were steadily rising on Wednesday, a day after Iran fired a barrage of missiles against Israel in retaliation for the Israeli army's offensive against Hezbollah. In this edition, FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin explains why this could change the trajectory of global oil prices, how the world's energy supply could be a…

Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed attacks on an oil tanker and another commercial vessel in the Red Sea on Tuesday, the first such attacks in weeks. The Iran-backed militants started targeting merchant ships last year in support of Hamas in Gaza, prompting many shipping companies to take a longer route via the southern tip of the African continent. FRA…

The union representing 45,000 dockworkers in the United States announced a strike at midnight on Tuesday in American ports all the way from Maine to Texas. The workers are asking for better pay and guarantees against automation as the shipping industry has seen skyrocketing profits this year. The industrial action could cause higher inflation and s…

The wholesale price of butter in France hit a record high in September, rocketing to €8,180 compared to €4,260 a year earlier, as an epidemic among cows affected production. But first: a new, common digital payment system has been launched in France, Belgium and Germany, backed by 16 major banks. The platform, "Wero", enables person-to-person cross…

With private insurer losses expected to top $6 billion, Hurricane Helene is another reminder of climate change's impact on the US home insurance market. Also in this edition: the UK's last coal-fired power plant gets set to shut down after 54 years as the country pursues its green energy transition.By FRANCE 24 English

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development issued an updated report this Thursday on growth prospects in all the regions where it operates. Its Chief Economist Beata Javorcik spoke to FRANCE 24 specifically about the challenges facing the economies of conflict-hit countries like Lebanon, Ukraine and Russia.…

As France's newly-formed government faces pressure to finalise its spending plans for 2025, Budget Minister Laurent Saint-Martin says the state of public finances is worse than was expected only a few days ago, and that this year's budget shortfall could top 6 percent of GDP – far above the government's earlier estimate of 5.1 percent. Plus, Commer…

Executives from Volkswagen and labour leaders are meeting this Wednesday in Hanover to discuss a new labour agreement. In the face of increased competition and high costs, the company has called for drastic cost-cutting measures. In this edition, we look at why the storied German industrial champion has hit a rough patch. Plus, our correspondents i…

In a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, the US state of California has sued ExxonMobil for fraud over plastic recycling. The state's attorney general accuses the oil giant of deceiving the public for decades by promoting recycling as a solution to plastic waste management while knowing that it isn't viable to do so at scale. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer speaks w…

The governor of the People's Bank of China, Pan Gongsheng, has announced new measures meant to boost the country's ailing economy. China's central bank is lowering its benchmark interest rate as well as reducing the cash requirement that banks are supposed to hold in a bid to free up lending capacity and reach the government's target of 5 percent g…

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has warned against a "hostile takeover" of Commerzbank, after Italy's UniCredit revealed it had significantly increased its stake in Germany's second-largest bank, from 9 percent to 21 percent. Plus, with New York's Climate Week underway alongside the UN General Assembly, FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer speaks to Gregory Renand…

France's new economic team is led by two young and relatively unknown members of President Macron's pro-business coalition. They face a host of fiscal challenges as they try to reduce deficits without raising taxes on France's middle class.By FRANCE 24 English

People in Martinique are protesting the cost of living. That's because food products on the island cost up to 42 percent more than in mainland France. Sri Lankans are gearing up for a presidential election – and this year, the economy will be at the top of voters' minds. The Bank of England decided to hold its key rate steady at 5 percent, a day af…

Sri Lankan voters will head to the polls this Saturday to choose a new president. We'll see why the economy will be at the heart of the campaign with the financial collapse of 2022 still present in peoples' minds. In 2024, economic indicators have recovered but Sri Lankans are still suffering. Also in this edition, Donald Trump accuses the US feder…

The US Federal Reserve lowered its key lending rate by a deeper-than-expected 0.5 percent, in its first rate cut in more than four years. The move indicates that while monetary policymakers are confident about taming inflation, their focus has shifted to supporting the slowing job market. Plus, France 24's Yuka Royer speaks with Regina Mayor, Globa…

Norway's road federation revealed on Tuesday that the number of electric vehicles on its roads was now larger than the number of petrol cars. Though diesel cars are still the most common type of vehicle in the country, EVs could overtake them in 2026. In this edition, we take a look at why Norway is leading the way in the transition to electric mob…

After weeks of negotiations, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen has unveiled her new top team, giving key economic portfolios to France, Italy and Spain. If approved by the European Parliament, the bloc's top brass will be charged with steering the EU's industrial agenda in the face of competition from China and the US. Plus, London May…