Show Notes
The world's second largest economy grew by 4.5% in the third quarter, but worries persist in China over weak spending at home.
China’s economy grew by 4.5% in the third quarter of the year, thanks to the AI boom driving investment in Chinese exports. But global trade tensions and continued concerns at the level of consumer spending at home hang over the future of the world’s second largest economy.
Meanwhile in the Eurozone’s second largest economy, France, shares have fallen and borrowing costs have risen after violent protests in the country over the weekend.
Why the World Bank is concerned there won’t be enough jobs to go around in future for today’s youth.
And in England, the Government gets tough on so-called headphone dodgers, who insist on listening to music loudly on public transport - driving other passengers mad. Presenter: Leanna Byrne Senior Producer: Craig Henderson Editor: Naomi Rainey
More from World Business Report
A New Mexico judge has fined Meta for its handling of user data. It's the latest large legal payout for the tech firm, following an $18 billion settlement reached with California over child safety, and comes as it releases its latest financial results. Vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language have led to websites being down in several countries, including Japan, Finland and the UK. Around seven in 10 of the world's websites use PHP. Is this a new era of cyber insecurity and instability? And a BBC investigation finds that employees from Google have resigned due to the use of AI for military technologies. We hear from one former employee. Presenter: Luke Wilson Producers: Neil Morrow & Neggeen Sadid (Photo: Meta logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. Credit: REUTERS / Dado Ruvic)
For the second day, many websites around the world — including those of government agencies and banks — are down. These are due to vulnerabilities in PHP — a programming language that much of the internet relies on. One government cyber security official in Finland tells us how his government is preparing for cyber-attacks. We go to Virginia to speak to a housing realtor about the housing market. Have interest rates made home ownership unaffordable? And we ask the co-founder of France's first literary AI prize if it sets a dangerous precedent for authors. Presenter: Leanne Byrne Producers: Neil Morrow & Neggeen Sadid (Photo: "Cyber Attack" phrase and PHP code appears in this illustration taken October 22, 2026. Credit: REUTERS / Dado Ruvic / Illustration)
Millions of hacking attempts have been detected after a major security flaw was discovered in PHP. We hear from the cybersecurity firm behind the discovery and a business whose website remains offline. Also, Electronic Arts shuts down BioWare after 31 years, cutting 400 jobs. And Airbnb is banning lengthy checkout chores for guests. Presenter: Luke Wilson Producer: Bisi Adebayo
A New Mexico judge has fined Meta for its handling of user data. It's the latest large legal payout for the tech firm, following an $18 billion settlement reached with California over child safety, and comes as it releases its latest financial results. Vulnerabilities in the PHP programming language have led to websites being down in several countries, including Japan, Finland and the UK. Around seven in 10 of the world's websites use PHP. Is this a new era of cyber insecurity and instability? And a BBC investigation finds that employees from Google have resigned due to the use of AI for military technologies. We hear from one former employee. Presenter: Luke Wilson Producers: Neil Morrow & Neggeen Sadid (Photo: Meta logo and a keyboard in this illustration taken October 19, 2026. Credit: REUTERS / Dado Ruvic)
India telecoms company Jio Platforms has launched what is expected to be the country’s biggest ever share sale. The company, which is part of Reliance Industries and backed by India’s second richest man, Mukesh Ambani, aims to raise around $3.2bn in its initial public offering (IPO). Also, protests in Portugal over housing affordability spill on to the streets. And why Starbucks China has run out of patience with customers who take a seat…but not a coffee. Presenter: Leanna Byrne Producer: Craig Henderson Editor: Naomi Rainey