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While the tech world has been flying high on a wave of optimism over all the potential applications of AI, booming demand for the technology is increasingly straining energy resources. One simple search on ChatGPT consumes almost 10 times more electricity than one on Google. Charles Pellegrin speaks to Mary de Wysocki, Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Cisco, a major US-based company that provides data centre products and services.
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Scene on Radio, the Peabody-nominated podcast series produced by The Kenan Institute for Ethics at Duke University, has dedicated its latest season to exploring the history, failures and future of capitalism over the course of 13 episodes. John Biewen, co-host of the podcast, joins us from North Carolina for a big picture conversation about the system that governs the lives of a large chunk of humanity.
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In the run-up to the UK's general election on July 4, the state of the country's National Health Service (NHS) is a key campaign theme. Satisfaction with the NHS is at its lowest in 40 years and the same is true of social care. Both the ruling Conservatives and the opposition Labour Party are promising to increase funding for the NHS. One business-led social organisation in the UK, Business for Health, advocates for stronger investments in preventative health, especially in the workplace. This could end up reducing the stress on the NHS. Charles Pellegrin speaks to its founder and CEO, Tina Woods.
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It's a common and accepted trope that free trade has led to more prosperity. Yet free trade, and another word that often accompanies it – globalisation – are frequent targets of criticism, with both seen as eroding national sovereignty, taking away local jobs and harming the environment. Charles Pellegrin talks to John W.H. Denton, the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, the world's largest business organisation, whose purpose is to fight for a business-friendly environment around the globe.
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A cloud of uncertainty is hovering over Europe this June in the wake of the European elections. In France, the National Rally party of Marine Le Pen dominated the polls to such an extent that President Emmanuel Macron immediately dissolved parliament and called for new elections. The possibility of seeing the far right take power in the country has led to turmoil in the markets. To better understand the economic impact of such a scenario, as well as its likelihood, we speak to Maria Demertzis, a senior fellow at Bruegel, a Brussels-based think tank that specialises in European policy.
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We peer into one of the world’s leading robotics hubs – in the town of Odense in Denmark – and see why the Scandinavian country has made a name for itself in the high-tech space.
And we explore why South Korea's cosmetics industry – also known as K-Beauty – is going global, surfing on the success of other cultural exports like K-pop and K-drama.
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As a result of the war in Ukraine, millions of Ukrainian children have been scattered around Europe. These young refugees have seen their education heavily disrupted, with only between 30 and 50 percent of them enrolled in schools in their host countries. NGOs such as Junior Achievement (JA) Europe and UNICEF have teamed up to help offer 1.9 million hours of training and education over the course of the last year across 14 countries. Charles Pellegrin talks to Salvatore Nigro, the CEO of JA Europe.
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The recurrence of extreme flooding in Brazil is making it harder and harder to run a business, underlining the devastating economic impact of climate change. Andrew Hilliar takes a look at how businesses are coping.
And in neighbouring Argentina, President Javier Milei's libertarian cost-cutting policies are forcing soup kitchens to clean out their pantries. Our correspondents Mathilde Guillaume and Matis Musa show us how that's impacted the country’s poor – a population that's seen its ranks grow in the past few years.
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As decided by EU member states and the European Parliament, sales of internal combustion engine cars will be banned in the bloc by 2035, thereby forcing a transition to electric vehicles. How will Europe's car manufacturers manage this major change? FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin puts the question to Julia Poliscanova, senior director in charge of vehicles and e-mobility at the European Federation for Transport and Environment.
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This week, we bring you a special edition of People & Profit from VivaTech, France's major tech event. Charles Pellegrin asks Beatriz Sanz Saiz, global consulting data and AI leader at EY, how artificial intelligence could bring more equality. He also meets Olivier Oullier, whose company Inclusive Brains has developed tech that could be a game changer for people with disabilities. And Peter O'Brien reports from the halls of VivaTech to find out what the rise of AI will mean for climate tech.
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Rudimentary heating systems, often fuelled by wood fire, coal and animal manure, are used by a large majority of households in Africa. Delegates from over 60 countries gathered in Paris for a summit held by the IEA to help tackle this issue. Charles Pellegrin asks Jillene Connors Belopolsky, who is the chief of staff and chief external affairs officer at the Clean Cooking Alliance, what can be done to make clean cooking options more affordable and available.
Also on the programme: We take a look at what the United Arab Emirates’s first micro-brewery could mean for a region looking to build up its tourism sector and reduce its reliance on its fossil fuel industry.
We also check out how Sweden has turned into a global gaming sector powerhouse.
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Taylor Swift's Eras Tour is continuing its planetary takeover, kicking off its European leg this week in France. Since her first concerts in March 2023 in the US, the pop star has been credited with boosting the national GDPs of the United States, Singapore and Australia. For a deeper look at the business phenomenon that is Taylor Swift, FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks with former music business executive, Professor Linda Bloss-Baum. She is the assistant director of the business and entertainment programme at American University's Kogod School of Business.
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More than a year after Saudi Arabia and Iran agreed to restore diplomatic ties, the implications of that thaw in tensions can be felt beyond the two nations. For instance, Iraq has seen a surge in investments from Gulf states which had previously avoided the country because of its links to Tehran.
And we head to southern China, where young sales professionals are going back to school to learn how to use TikTok to better target foreign markets.
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With less than 100 days to go until the Paris 2024 Olympics, we’re looking into whether or not they will be a healthy investment for Paris and France as a whole. Will the Games boost the French economy? Or will the costs outweigh the benefits? FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin discusses this and more with Christophe Lepetit from the Centre de Droit et d'Economie du Sport, a French research institute specialised in the economics of sport.
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India has kicked off its marathon elections, with nearly a billion people eligible to cast ballots. High on voters' minds will be issues relating to the country's economy. How has the world's most populous nation and fifth-biggest economy fared since the 2014 elections that brought Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Hindu nationalist BJP to power? Have the lives of India's people materially improved? We take a closer look in this special edition.
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What does 22 years of data tell us about the nature of the economic relationship between Beijing and the African continent? FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin talks to Oyintarelado Moses, lead author of a report from Boston University's Global Development Policy Center and the African Economic Research Consortium.
Watch moreZambia: Under Chinese influence
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China's cosmetics industry is increasingly catering to the needs of men. We meet the people and companies turning male skincare routines into big business.
Plus, France develops a scoring system to rank the environmental impact of items of clothing, ahead of a formal decree in May and implementation in the autumn.
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The European Central Bank is making plans for a digital currency, an electronic equivalent to cash. FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks to Positive Money Europe's Executive Director Vicky Van Eyck, who says the digital euro could make the financial system fairer, but fears that privately-owned commercial banks are undermining the new currency's potential.
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Croatia's accession to the European Union and its Schengen zone has allowed Croatians to work elsewhere in the bloc, leading to a massive labour shortage at home. Foreign labourers and their integration into society has become a hot-button issue ahead of elections scheduled for April 17.
Plus, India is the world's most populous nation and its fifth-largest economic power. We report on how companies from around the world, including France, are vying for a piece of this growing market.
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TikTok is once again in the crosshairs of the US administration, after the House of Representatives voted in favour of a bill that would force its Chinese owner ByteDance to divest itself of the social media platform or see it banned in the US. Charles Pellegrin asks journalist Océane Herrero, who's written a book on TikTok, what it would mean for the future of the video-sharing app if the bill were signed into law.
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Under the leadership of dictator Nayib Bukele, El Salvador adopted Bitcoin as an official currency three years ago. The country is now rejoicing as the cryptocurrency smashes records, but danger still lurks around the corner.
Plus, French glove factory "Maison Fabre" is celebrating 100 years of existence. From crafting gloves for Grace Kelly's wedding to bankruptcy woes, it's been through ups and downs over the past century and is now revamping the industry in its local region of southwestern France.
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Geologists around the world are calling it the "new gold rush". We ask why companies are rushing to capitalise on white or natural hydrogen, with our guest Minh Khoi Le. He is the head of hydrogen research at business intelligence company Rystad Energy. According to the firm, 40 companies were searching for this "white gold" across the globe at the end of 2023, including in the US, Canada, France, Albania, South Korea and Colombia. Back in 2020, only 10 companies were involved.
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First gas, then grain – does Italy have a Russia problem? Our correspondents meet those impacted by the surge in Russian wheat imports.
And we head to Egypt to see how skyrocketing inflation is affecting those celebrating the holy month of Ramadan.
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The collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh 11 years ago revealed the poor working conditions endured by people serving the global fast fashion industry. What were the lessons learned and has consumer and corporate behaviour changed since then? With EU countries still divided over key new legislation on supply chain due diligence, we discuss what it would mean for companies and consumers with Abbie Morris, co-founder and CEO of Compare Ethics.
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As West Africa's cacao harvest season draws to a close, many farmers are desperate as bad weather and plant diseases have destroyed their crops, pushing global cocoa prices to record levels. Plus, it's a possible solution to a labour shortage among a shrinking, ageing population. Delivery robots are being tested on the streets of Tokyo after the Japanese government changed traffic laws. -
In its Global Economic Prospects report, the World Bank reaches the conclusion that we are in a "decade of wasted opportunity", where instead of being on track to reach key development and climate goals by 2030, we have seen the slowest half-decade of growth in 30 years. This is having devastating consequences, especially in developing and low-income economies. For more, FRANCE 24's Charles Pellegrin speaks to the World Bank's Deputy Chief Economist Ayhan Kose.
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Israel's offensive in Gaza following the October 7 Hamas attacks is reverberating in the West Bank. While not directly involved in the conflict, the Palestinian territory's economy lies in tatters, in part because Israel revoked work permits for 130,000 Palestinians in the West Bank. We speak to a Palestinian entrepreneur about the broader challenges of running a business in the territory, including checkpoints, Israeli occupation and blocked financial flows. Amal Daraghmeh Masri is CEO and editor-in-chief of Middle East Business News and of Ougarit group, based in Ramallah.
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Erdogan's economics: Turkey's rollercoaster struggle against inflationKeeping interest rates low, then pushing them up: FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer zeroes in on Turkey's tumultuous fight against skyrocketing inflation.
Far-right fears: Rise of AFD party worries German companiesLeaving the EU, abandoning the euro and restricting immigration: in Germany, the far right's ideas are fuelling fears among businesses, as our correspondents report.
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From Paris to Berlin, from Warsaw to Brussels, this week farmers stepped up their protests against the European Green Deal and hikes in diesel taxes, all against a backdrop of inflation, climate change and competition from Ukrainian imports. Tractors have been blocking highways and sending a message to governments as well as the public: "the people who feed you are having trouble feeding themselves". We speak to a cereal grower about the agricultural sector's challenges and the reasons behind the protests.
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Evergrande ordered to liquidate: What's next for China's property sector?A court in Hong Kong has ordered China's debt-ridden property developer Evergrande to liquidate. Our Business Editor Yuka Royer looks at the dramatic three years that have brought the Chinese real estate sector to its knees.
Strategic minerals: California community awaits benefits of lithium depositAnd we head to the Salton Sea in Southern California, where lithium reserves could help transform local communities and the national auto industry.
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