Latest from Leanna Byrne

• Feb 22, 2023

  How bad weather is causing empty supermarket shelves

  

  From the BBC World Service: Bad weather in North Africa means less fruit and vegetables are finding their way into supermarkets in the U.K. and Ireland. Social media is full of pictures of empty shelves in economies dependent on imports. But we hear how the situation has also been exacerbated by supermarkets’ hard-nosed approach to negotiating supply deals with farmers. Plus, why Hong Kong is handing citizens $600 each. And, as we continue our look at the wider impact of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine last year, we speak to businesses in Russia facing a skills shortages caused by conscription.

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• Feb 21, 2023

  There are few options for mothers in prison

  

  For incarcerated women, there are few options for where to send their children when serving their sentences — many lack family members who could take them in, and foster care carries the risk of losing custody. Hear how some groups in Minnesota are forming an alternative foster care system. We check in with Dr. David Kelley, Chief Market Strategist at JP Morgan Funds, about the markets picture underneath the good recent economic data. The Supreme Court is set to take up cases this term that could shape the tech landscape for the foreseeable future. And, in earthquake-torn Turkey and Syria, aid groups are disbursing U.S. dollar-denominated cash donations to victims.

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• Feb 21, 2023

  Big cases for Big Tech at the Supreme Court

  

  The Supreme Court will hear a case today challenging a liability shield that’s helped protect tech companies from what users post on their platforms. Many argue this protection helped build the modern internet — and wonder what will happen if it’s struck down. The BBC looks at the results of one of the world’s largest four-day workweek experiments, which was conducted in the UK over a period of six months. And, some personal finance tips for people making big life changes from CBS News’ Jill Schlesinger. 

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• Feb 21, 2023

  Who in Britain is for a four-day week?

  

  From the BBC World Service: How would you like to get all your pay for working 80% of the time? We take a look at one of the world’s biggest pilots of the four-day work week. Nearly all the businesses that took part want to carry on. Plus, as President Putin makes a major address to mark the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, we take a look at the human toll. Millions of people fled to other countries and some of them have been setting up businesses. And finally, more heads are rolling in Spain after $250m was spent on trains too wide to fit through tunnels.

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• Feb 20, 2023

  President Biden visited Ukraine. What was on the agenda?

  

  President Biden arrived in Kyiv this morning on a surprise visit to wartime Ukraine. Hear about what was on the agenda, including fresh arms deliveries and other forms of assistance. The BBC investigates alleged sexual assault on Kenyan tea farms that supply some of the world’s largest brands. And, a look at how abortion funds and clinics in the South are sending services across state lines into communities where the practice became illegal after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.  Please be advised content featured in this podcast includes a story about sexual abuse that listeners may find difficult to hear or inappropriate for younger audiences.

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• Feb 20, 2023

  How could federal dollars transform American manufacturing?

  

  The American manufacturing sector is set to receive a huge deluge of funding in the coming years, thanks in large part to two major laws: the CHIPS Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. We spoke with Charlotte Howard, Executive Editor and New York Bureau Chief at The Economist, about what the laws could portend for the sector. President Biden is in Ukraine for a surprise visit, where he met with his counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky and announced new military aid. And, a view from Moldova, where Pro-Russian protests are causing instability for the country’s Western-aligned government. 

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• Feb 20, 2023

  The dark cost of tea farming in Kenya

  

  From the BBC World Service: A BBC investigation has uncovered widespread sexual abuse on tea farms which supply some of the world’s biggest international tea brands. Plus, the brewer Brewdog is expanding into China in a tie-up with Budweiser. And, we take a look at the economic implications of war in Ukraine on the eve of the first anniversary. Please be advised content featured in this podcast includes a story about sexual abuse that listeners may find difficult to hear or inappropriate for younger audiences.

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• Feb 17, 2023

  Consumers are really, really indebted

  

  A new report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York says credit card debt reached all-time highs at the end of 2022, around $986 billion in total. A look into why that matters, and what it says about the economy. As Turkey recovers from a devastating set of earthquakes that rocked the country’s southern region this month, questions are arising about a so-called “earthquake tax” that’s been in place since 2004. And, while revenue from online ads shrinks for giants like Meta and Alphabet, small businesses are keeping up their advertising campaigns.  

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• Feb 17, 2023

  The job market is sending mixed signals

  

  There have been some contradictory signs coming out of the job market in the past month — some big tech companies are announcing layoffs, but other places say they’re hiring lots of workers. We look into what to make of the wider labor market picture. It’s time for the renewal of the Farm Bill, the massive agricultural spending law, and Congressional Republicans are aiming to trim SNAP benefits, formerly known as food stamps. And, we talked to the head of a Pennsylvania department store that’s been open for 118 years. 

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• Feb 17, 2023

  How much will it cost to rebuild in Turkey and Syria?

  

  From the BBC World Service: After the United Nations launched a $1bn appeal to help those affected by the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria we speak to our reporter to find how much it will cost to rebuild the affected areas. We hear about a major Chinese businessman who has been reported missing, and we ask Manchester United fans who they want to buy their club with a deadline looming.

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