Canadians are voting in an election dominated by the global trade war
Canadians are voting in a general election which has been dominated by Donald Trump's trade war and threats to annex the country. The leaders of the two main parties rejected a renewed assertion by Mr Trump on election day that Canada should become the fifty-first US state.Devina Gupta hears from the BBC’s economics editor Faisal Islam, who is in Ottawa, and Dan Kelly, president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses.
And the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sanchez, has urged people not to speculate over the cause of a massive power cut that's affected millions of people across Spain and Portugal.Also, the Chinese online retailer Temu, known for its cheap products, adds ‘import charges’ of about 145% in response to President Trump’s tariffs on China.
Throughout the programme, we’ll be joined by two guests on opposite sides of the world – Jessica Khine, a business development consultant based in Malaysia but now joining us from London, and Sergio Guzmán, director of the Colombia Risk Analysis company.
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Public confidence in the US economy falls sharply
A new survey by the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research has revealed that consumer confidence in the United States has seen its largest drop since 1990.While the Governor of Mississippi believes rising tariffs will lead to more capital investment, we hear from a retail business in Indiana on the impact of the ongoing trade war. Rahul Tandon speaks to prominent Canadian automotive figure Flavio Volpe on the state of the country's economy ahead of Monday's general election.And a Californian government figure discusses how the state has overtaken Japan to become the fourth largest global economic force behind Germany, China and the US as a whole.
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Could the US-China tariff war cancel Christmas?
China has said no to any trade talks until the US withdraws its tariffs, but which of the World's two superpowers will blink first and bring the growing trade war to an end? Rahul Tandon speaks to the President of the American Toy Association on how children's Christmas presents, including Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels cars and Jellycats toys, could fall victim to the US-China trade war.Meanwhile, how will the higher education sector in the US be affected by the fall out?We enter the World of the ‘workfluencers’, where the personal meets the professional, and how corporations are increasingly putting employees in front of the camera in order to humanise the working environment. Elsewhere, as the situation in Kashmir develops and Pakistan suspends all trade with India, we find out about the growing tension between the two countries. And there's concern for the survival of Africa's shea nut tree which provides an income for millions of women.Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Asia and the USA.
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US and China: What's the deal?
With China open to talks and the US Treasury secretary hinting at a deal, Rahul Tandon talks to economists and trade specialists about the likelihood of a thaw in relations.
And we look ahead to the Australian elections.
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Trump suggests China tariffs will fall
President Trump says tariffs on China “will not be anywhere near 145%” but won’t be removed all together. It follows US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent saying he expected a ‘de escalation’ in US China tariffs.The International Monetary Fund has revised its global growth forecast in the wake of Trump’s tariffs, with the US expected to be hit hardest.And the boardgames industry is suffering the consequences of tariffs. A number of companies have launched a legal case against the Trump administration. Among them is Stonemaier Games, we speak to their President.