The number of foreign direct investment projects in Europe fell 4 percent in 2023 compared to the previous year, the first decline since the pandemic. Germany was hit particularly hard with a 12 percent drop in FDI projects, amid concern over its economic slowdown and energy security. France's tally fell by 5 percent but it still came out on top with the most projects. The UK bucked the regional trend with a 6 percent increase. Also in this edition, a free Madonna concert in Rio de Janeiro...

The US Federal Reserve has decided to keep its benchmark interest rate steady at 5.25 to 5.50 percent. Fed Chairman Jerome Powell said while inflation has eased significantly over the past year, it's still too high, and that while wage growth has slowed down, the labour market remains tight. The US central bank will slow down the pace of quantitative tightening from next month, reducing the cap on Treasury bonds it allows to run off each month to $25 billion from the current $60 billion. 

To mark International Workers' Day, anti-poverty NGO Oxfam has released analysis showing that between 2020 and 2023, shareholders saw their dividend payments increase by 45 percent while workers saw their wages increase by just 3 percent. The figures highlight the growing global divide between rich and poor. Also in this edition, the company behind ChatGPT is the target of a complaint in Austria over incorrect information shared by the AI chatbot.

A court in Seattle has sentenced Changpeng Zhao, the founder and former CEO of the cryptocurrency exchange Binance, to four months in jail for violating US money laundering laws. The billionaire told the court that he had failed and was sorry. The sentencing comes after the defendant pleaded guilty last November and paid $50 million in fines. Plus, Zimbabweans line up at banks to withdraw cash as the new currency ZiG, the sixth since the 2009 collapse of the Zimbabwe dollar, goes into...

US Entertainment giant Paramount Global announced on Monday that CEO Bob Bakish was stepping down. In this edition, we take a closer look at how the company's controlling shareholder, Shari Redstone, may have been behind this move and why the firm's value has plummeted 80 percent in the past eight years. Meanwhile in Argentina, President Javier Milei's second attempt at getting his economic overhaul package through parliament is facing fierce opposition.

Tesla's shares surged after the EV maker won tentative approval to deploy its Full Self-Driving system in China, this as CEO Elon Musk met high-ranking officials on a surprise visit to Beijing. Plus, the French state has offered to buy key assets from troubled IT giant Atos in order to protect national interests. 

A growing protest movement on US college campuses wants universities to sell off assets related to Israel's war in Gaza and its occupation of the West Bank. We take a closer look. Also, the French government offers to buy the data security operations of struggling IT firm Atos, and Elon Musk makes progress in his bid for the rollout of Tesla's Full Self-Driving service in China.

Meta announced a 27 percent jump in Q1 revenues but still saw shares tank after hours, amid fears over the social media giant's increased capital expenditure on AI infrastructure. Also in this edition: British mining giant BHP makes a $39 billion bid for its rival Anglo American, and Boeing's losses deepen.

Under intense pressure since part of the fuselage on its 737 MAX plane blew out mid-flight back in January, Boeing has reported its first-quarter results, with revenue falling to $16.5 billion and a cash burn of nearly $4 billion. Yet the figures were still better than feared. The planemaker's board has yet to name a successor to CEO Dave Calhoun, who announced his resignation last month. Plus, the EU launches a probe into China's medical device market, drawing a sharp response from Beijing. 

On Tuesday, the US Senate approved a measure that would force the owner of social media app TikTok to either sell the US unit of the company or face a ban. The Chinese-owned group stands to lose a lot if it leaves the US market and is already planning to fight the bill in the courts, arguing it goes against users' free speech rights. Also in this edition, FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn looks at Tesla's falling revenues and profits amid competition from cheaper rivals.

A war of words is escalating between the Australian government and the owner of X, with PM Anthony Albanese calling Elon Musk an "arrogant billionaire who thinks he's above the law" in response to Musk's social media comments accusing the Australian government of censorship. The spat stems from X's reluctance to comply with an order from the country's internet regulator to take down footage of last week's alleged terrorist attack in Sydney at a church. We take a closer look.

As India's opposition leader Rahul Gandhi claims on the campaign trail that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made the country into a "centre of unemployment", we look at the situation that young Indians face on the job market. Also in this edition, the US will see its first high-speed rail line in 2028, when commuters will be able to travel from Los Angeles to Las Vegas in just over two hours.

Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Iraq this Monday on his first official visit in over a decade. Erdogan signed a raft of deals in a bid to reset rocky relations. High on the agenda was the water issue, stemming from Turkey's construction of dams on the Tigris and Euphrates rivers that has reduced water supply downstream to Iraq. We take a closer look.

A report by Net Zero Tracker released this Earth Day shows that most of the world's biggest private companies have failed to set net zero targets. Only 40 of 100 private firms studied have pledged to achieve zero carbon emissions, compared to 70 out of 100 publicly-listed firms. Net Zero Tracker blames a lack of market and reputational pressures, as well as an absence of regulation. Plus, electric car giant Tesla slashes prices across several markets as its sales decline.

As the clock ticks down towards the next "bitcoin halving" – an event coded into the cryptocurrency's algorithm to slow down the introduction of new coins into circulation – we take a deep dive into the history of bitcoin and the blockchain technology powering it. Plus, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro remains defiant after the US decision to reimpose sanctions on his country's oil sector. 

On a visit to steelworkers in the key swing state of Pennsylvania, US President Joe Biden accused China of dumping cheap steel on global markets and called for sharply higher tariffs on Chinese metal products. Plus, former and current Boeing engineers, including whistleblower Sam Salehpour, testify in the US Senate about the planemaker's safety culture. 

As the US government and its allies mull new sanctions on Iran after Tehran's missile and drone attack on Israel, we look at whether existing sanctions have been effective at stemming the flow of Iranian oil to global markets. Also in this edition, we see how global oil markets are reacting to the crisis in the Middle East. Plus, the Canadian government unveils a new budget that promises to increase taxes on the rich, while boosting spending on education and housing.

China's National Bureau of Statistics said on Monday that the country's economy grew to the tune of 5.3 percent in the first three months of the year, ahead of economists' expectations. Manufacturing and infrastructure are fuelling that growth, while housing and domestic consumption are still a source of concern. Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is on a three-day visit to China, Berlin's top trading partner.

Crude oil prices subside as traders bet that the worst is over in tensions between Iran and Israel, although fears remain. Meanwhile, investors charge into safe-haven assets like gold, and Chinese market regulators roll out new investor protections.

The US consumer price index for March stood 3.5 percent higher than a year earlier, as inflation proved stickier than expected. A rate cut from the Federal Reserve, anticipated for June, is now in doubt. Also in this edition: the UN's climate chief calls for a new finance deal for developing countries, saying nations have two years to save the planet. 

French IT services and consulting firm Atos unveiled a refinancing plan on Tuesday that failed to fully reassure investors. In this edition, we take a look at how the company, which provides cybersecurity services to the Olympic Games and supercomputers for France's nuclear arsenal, accumulated close to €5 billion in debt.

The trial of 27 people charged in the "Panama Papers" tax evasion and money laundering scandal opened in Panama on Monday. After the first day of hearings, we take a look back at the bombshell investigation that showed how the world's rich and famous used shell companies to avoid their domestic tax authorities. Also in this edition, FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn reports on US President Joe Biden's second attempt at cancelling student loan debt for 30 million Americans. 

China's minister of commerce is in Europe for a week-long trip, with a focus on pushing back against accusations of unfair state subsidies in the Chinese electric vehicle sector. Also in this edition: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen calls out overcapacity in Chinese green energy exports as she wraps up a visit there, and Elon Musk faces off against a Brazilian Supreme Court justice.

A new report by the World Bank and the United Nations, based on remote data collection sources, shows that damage to critical infrastructure in Gaza between October and January represents 97 percent of the GDP of the West Bank and Gaza from 2022. In this edition, we see how Israel's war on Hamas has levelled housing and social infrastructure in the Palestinian territory. Plus, FRANCE 24's Bryan Quinn tells us about the economic issues that came up in a phone call between US President Joe...