World Business Report

Chief executive Paul McDade and exploration director Angus McCoss are stepping down immediately. The announcement hurts countries like Ghana, where Tullow is the main oil producer and the government relies on revenue from the industry to fund social programs. We talk to Eklavya Gupte of S&P Global Platts.

At least fourty three people are dead in a fire at an Indian school bag factory – we get the latest on what this shows about India’s wider workplace practices. Russia and Ukraine are to discuss an end to the war in Donbass - but is Russia simply angling for a way to end the crippling sanctions against its economy? And why soft loans and aid can be bad for your country's financial future. Plus, the $120k banana that was eaten as part of performance art. It’s been compared with a golden urinal of equally artistic value as “it’s not just a banana, it’s a concept”, explains contemporary artist Clare Twomey. (Image: People gather at the spot where a fire broke out in a plastic factory, at Anaj Mandi, Filmistan on December 8, 2019 in New Delhi, India. Photo by Sanchit Khanna/ Getty Images)

Poland has the strongest performing economy in the European Union, and we find out why. The BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw reports on Poland's successful export industries, such as car parts. Jakub Krupa is journalist and director of the Polish Social and Cultural Assocation in London, and tells us why the Polish government is encouraging Poles who have migrated to other countries to return home. Magda Parol did just that a few years ago, setting up a translation business in Warsaw, and says the move has worked out for her. And we get a broader sense of the state of Poland's economy from Piotr Bujak, chief economist at PKO Bank Polski. Also in the programme, ride hailing firm Uber has admitted that it received 6,000 reports of sexual assault in the US over the past two years. We find out more from James Farrar of the trade organisation United Private Hire Drivers. Plus, we test drive technology whose developers say it can instantly translate any language into any other.

Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabia's huge state-owned oil production company is up for sale. 1.5% of its stock will be on offer on the Riyadh stock exchange which Aramco hopes will raise $25 billion, valuing the company at $1.7 trillion. The BBC's Sameer Hashmi has been following this highly anticipated IPO from Dubai. A lot of Chinese companies have been relocating in order to rebrand their exports Made in Vietnam - and get around American tariffs. So how lucrative has that new business been? We speak to Lien Huang, who reports for Bloomberg Law in Ho Chi Minh City. Plus Cary Leahy from Decision Economics brings us up to date with the day's headlines on Wall Street.

BBC's Ivana Davidovic hears from the boss of a manufacturing company and an internet entrepreneur, both of whom contributed anonymously for fear of repercussions from talking to the BBC. Esfandyar Batmanghelidj, founder of Boursa Bazaar, a publication which tracks developments in Iran's economy discusses why ordinary Iranians feel so let down at the moment. And Rana Rahimpour of the BBC Persian service explores the historical roots of the current protests. Also in the programme, France is in the grip of a nationwide strike against government plans to dramatically reform the pension system. Sophie Pedder is Paris bureau chief for The Economist, and explains why workers across the economy are taking action. Plus we look at the growing dominance of English as the global language of business.