World Business Report

Stocks climbed and the dollar fell in response to President-elect Donald Trump's nomination of Scott Bessent as Treasury Secretary.Also, why German steel maker Thyssenkrupp says it's cutting 11,000 workers.And as Black Friday approaches, we talk to the producer of a new documentary on hyper consumerism.

On the programme, we examine the collapse of Swedish battery maker Northvolt, a key player in Europe's push for green energy and electric vehicles. What caused its downfall, and is there any future for the firm or Europe’s electric vision? We also delve into a suspected sabotage of undersea cables, with a Finnish telecoms company asking whether we invest enough in securing critical infrastructure.And a historic moment for Indian cricket as Rishabh Pant becomes the most expensive player in IPL history, fetching $3.2 million. What does this mean for the game’s future?We want to hear your views. Contact us on WhatsApp or send a voice note to +44 330 678 3033.

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.