Why state aid may be the sticking point for a Brexit trade deal

(Image: Two boxing gloves punching each other, one with the UK flag, one with the EU flag. Credit: Getty Images Stock)

What can the New York Times' revelations can tell us about the President's financial affairs?

President Trump paid only $750 in tax federal income taxes in 2016 and 2017, and paid none in 10 of the past 15 years. That's according to an investigation by The New York Times earlier this week. The President says its all fake news. He's for years refused to publish his income tax returns. David Cay Johnstone, an investigative journalist and editor with DCReport.org, says the Times revelations show why he's keeping them hidden.

Adam Davidson who's written extensively on the President's business ties, says the only way to join up the dots since the death of his father, who was continuously propping up the President's finances, and the end of his lucrative appearances on the reality TV show, The Apprentice, is to work out who's bankrolling Trump's businesses.

But Dan Alexander, writer for Forbes magazine and author of White House Inc: How Donald Trump turned the Presidency into a Business, says that the President does have more assets than debts but he could come across conflicts of interest when he tries to re-finance these debts.

(Image: Novelty US dollar bills printed with Donald Trump's image on. Credit: Joel Forrest / Barcroft Media via Getty Images)

Should Facebook and Google pay for news that appears on their platforms? The Australian government thinks so. It’s drafted a law that would force them to pay - and Facebook is now threatening to ban all news from its Australian site. It’s a high stakes stand-off with potential global repercussions.

Veteran local newspaper publisher Bruce Ellen tells Manuela Saragosa how his business has suffered the past decade as articles are shared online for free. Journalist Zoe Samios of the Sydney Morning Herald says the pushback from Facebook has been especially forceful, while Belinda Barnet of Swinburne University in Melbourne says she thinks they are unlikely to back down.

But consultant Hal Crawford has little sympathy for the news companies, which he says get a lot more value from social media platforms than vice versa. Plus, Peter Lewis from the Centre for Responsible Technology worries that if Facebook follows through with its threat to remove news altogether from its platform in Australia, what will fill the void?

(Image: Facebook logo seen displayed on a smartphone with 100 dollar bills in the background. Credit: Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

President Xi Jinping made a big surprise announcement on Tuesday - that China is committing to cut its net carbon emissions to zero by 2060.

But why has President Xi decided to take such a bold unilateral step? Will China's actions match his words? And how will other countries respond, not least the US?

To answer these questions, Justin Rowlatt speaks to two people who have been at the top table of international climate diplomacy. Todd Stern was US President Barack Obama's representative in the Paris Agreement negotiations. And Rachel Kyte was an advisor on sustainable development to the United Nations Secretary General.

Plus, Li Yan of Greenpeace in China explains what to look out for next year in the country's new five-year plan as proof that Beijing is serious about tackling carbon emissions.

Producer: Laurence Knight

(Picture: China's President Xi Jinping; Credit: Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images)

What will get the swing states swinging? That’s the question we ask on this edition of Business Weekly as we take an in-depth look at Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas and Ohio. We find out what business leaders, activists and environmentalists in these places want from their new leader and ask whether Donald Trump or Joe Biden can deliver. We hear from Puerto Ricans and Cubans in Florida, young people in Texas and a farmer in Ohio. Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

How some of the world's biggest banks are helping criminals launder money through the UK capital. The BBC's Andy Verity describes what a major new leak of documents tells us about the flows of dirty money through financial centres. Dr Susan Hawley from the charity Spotlight on Corruption tells us why banks and regulators aren't doing enough to stop it, and Tom Burgis, author of a new book Kleptopia: How Dirty Money is Conquering the World, explains why money laundering is a threat to democracy and freedom.

(Photo: London's financial district, Credit: Getty Images)

Funding for African tech start-ups is booming. But only if you’re not African. Odunayo Eweniyi, is the co-founder of the first online savings and investment app in West Africa, Piggyvest. She tells Tamasin Ford about how hard it was to convince Western based Venture Capitalists to invest in them. Jesse Ghansah, the Ghanaian Founder of the Fintech company, Swipe says as an African founder he’s still judged differently. Iyinolowa Aboyeji, who’s from Nigeria, set up a financing initiative called the Fund for Africa’s Future. He says rather than looking at the problem of foreign founders in Africa receiving more investment than African founders, people need to look at why it’s happening. And Adaeze Sokan, also based in, Nigeria, is the Director of Design and Strategy at Ventures Platform which is a funding initiative focused on Africa. She says that more start-up money needs to be aimed at women.

Making designer fashion more sustainable has been a cause célèbre for decades, so why hasn’t it happened yet? At the close of London Fashion Week, and just before the beginning of Paris, Tamasin Ford has been looking into why the industry hasn’t made the changes it needs. Kevin Bailey of the VF Corporation, one of the largest apparel and footwear retailers, says the industry has made great strides, while Roger Lee, of TAL apparel in Hong Kong, says a vague standards system for what counts as “sustainable” makes further progress difficult. But Christina Dean, founder of the Redress sustainable fashion awards as well as the upcycled fashion brand, the R-Collective, says companies could have already done a lot more to use re- and up-cycled materials in their new lines.

(Picture credit: Getty Creative)

Brewing, like many industries, has had to adapt during the coronavirus pandemic. And whilst this can be a logistical nightmare, the current crisis might also present some new opportunities. Elizabeth Hotson talks to beer writer, Pete Brown about the impact so far of coronavirus on craft beer. We take a socially distanced trip to East London to hear from Jon Swain, co-founder of Hackney Brewery and then cross over to Maryland in the US where Julie Verratti from Denizens Brewing explains how an aluminium can shortage is making it tough to ship her products. And in Mexico City, Jessica Martinez from Cerveceria Malteza explains how lockdown gave an unexpected boost to craft beer. Producer: Elizabeth Hotson. (Picture of beer cans by Elizabeth Hotson).

Nightclubs around the world are struggling to survive with social distancing guidelines. The social effect is palpable, especially for the younger generation who have grown up with club culture. BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ Jamz Supernova tells Ed Butler about everything she's missing from the club scene. Meanwhile, the Night-time Industries Association's Michael Kill says they and club owners are working to convince the government to help them open up. But how would that work? Lutz Leichsenring, an advocate for Berlin nightlife says any way forward will be difficult, but this crisis should be a wake up call for cities to value their nightlife more.

(Picture: A Berlin nightclub. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

There are less than two months to go until the presidential election in the United States. Both candidates and parties have framed it as something of an existential fight. So, on Business Weekly we look at the big issues framing the debate. We examine the economy, immigration and healthcare and find out what a Biden Presidency or a second-term of office for President Trump could mean for these key policy areas. Plus, as the Zimbabwean government hands back some land to some evicted farmers, our reporter in Harare tells us why this is happening now and how the move has been received. And what has Covid-19 done to the Asian wedding industry? Business Weekly is presented by Lucy Burton and produced by Matthew Davies.

The West Coast wildfires have lifted climate change to the top of the campaign agenda, but will it actually shift any votes? It highlights one of sharpest policy contrasts between the two presidential candidates - with Donald Trump questioning whether global warming is even a threat, while Joe Biden has a detailed $2.5 trillion plan to decarbonise the economy.

Justin Rowlatt speaks to David Banks, a former energy advisor to both President Trump and George W Bush, as well as Cheryl LaFleur, who served as an energy regulator under Barack Obama. Plus the BBC's North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher discusses electoral calculations behind each candidate's stance.

(Picture: A firefighter watches the fire burning in Monrovia, California; Credit: Ringo Chiu/AFP via Getty Images)