World Business Report

The conflict has caused the closure of shipping lanes, with up to a fifth of global energy and as much as a third of other commercial shipping impacted.
Thousands of flights have also been suspended, with airports as well as refineries the target of Iranian attacks.
We get reaction to the latest developments.
(Picture: A traveller looks at a departures board displaying a cancelled Qatar Airways flight for Doha, amid the U.S.-Israel war with Iran, at Terminal 8 at John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York City, U.S., March 2, 2026. REUTERS/Bing Guan. Credit:).

Airlines have grounded flights, one of the world’s busiest airports has shut, and oil prices are climbing after strikes in the Middle East. We hear from investors and analysts as they react in real-time to the US-Israel war with Iran. And we find out how the disruption is affecting air passengers and the wider travel industry.
Plus - we learn how the insurance market is responding to fast-moving events as it assesses coverage and war risk premiums.

A plot twist in Hollywood has taken place in the last 24 hours, but in the spreadsheets rather than on the screens, as Netflix decides it's not willing to counter Paramount–Skydance's US$111bn bid for Warner Bros Discovery. We discuss what this means for the studio house that brought Bugs Bunny, the Looney Tunes, Harry Potter and the DC Universe to audiences worldwide.
Vishala Sri-Pathma hears how US President Donald Trump has directed every federal agency to immediately stop using technology from Anthropic, as the row between the White House and the AI developer continues.
Meanwhile, with the United States oil blockage of Cuba continuing for nearly a month, Will Grant reports on the economic and humanitarian crisis engulfing the Caribbean country.
And as Pokémon celebrates turning 30 with its first ever theme park in Japan - we find out how a kids’ craze become a cultural heavyweight.
Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Asia, Latin America and the USA.
(Picture: The Warner Bros. Studios water tower in Burbank, California, on 11 September 2025. Credit: Allison Dinner / EPA / Shutterstock.)

Paramount-Skydance is the only show in town for ownership of Warner Brothers, with a deal valuing the movie maker and media empire at $111bn. But even if it seals the deal with shareholders and boards it still needs to get past regulators on both sides of the Atlantic.

We head to the Balkans, where a multi-billion-dollar rail link between Belgrade and Budapest opens for freight today.

We also hear about the secret to Pokemon's success, as the video game characters turn 30.

With a landmark court case in California hearing from a woman who says tech giants Meta and YouTube’s owner Google harmed her mental health as a child, we catch up with our correspondent in Los Angeles, Peter Bowes, on the legal proceedings and discuss how damaging and addictive social media websites can be during a person's formative years.
Elsewhere, as Netflix squabbles with Paramount for control of Warner Brothers Discovery and its worldwide franchises including Harry Potter and Superman, we hear from former Paramount executive Guy Petty on why Netflix's CEO Ted Sarandos is heading to the White House.
Rahul Tandon speaks to Moritz Riesinger of the IG Metall union in Germany as it comes to a temporary agreement with Elon Musk over its Tesla factory near Berlin.
And economist Cary Leahey of Columbia University explains why the latest unemployment figures in the United States has risen once again.
Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Europe, Latin America and the USA.
(Picture: Supporters of plaintiff Kaley G.M. hold signs as they stand outside the courthouse in Los Angeles, California, on the day she takes the stand at a trial in a key test case accusing Meta and Google's YouTube of harming children's mental health through addictive social media platforms. Credit: Reuters / Mike Blake.)