World Business Report

Oil giant BP is pulling back billions that had been earmarked for shareholders as it looks to steady its finances after a fall in profits. Leanna Byrne asks what it means for BP’s longer-term strategy in energy?
Also, how unusual is it for a major artist to walk away from a powerful talent agency?
And Spotify wraps its fourth quarter with good numbers.

A landmark US trial begins today in Los Angeles, where plaintiffs say Instagram and YouTube were built to addict kids. We hear from our North America Technololgy Correspondent on what the families said today in court.
Then to Japan, where Sanae Takaichi’s decisive election win is being read by markets positively - sending the Nikkei to record highs. We’ll hear from Tokyo and the US on what her strengthened mandate could mean for the Japan-US relationship.
And there's a major pharma-versus-telehealth clash: Novo Nordisk is suing Hims & Hers, accusing it of patent infringement linked to semaglutide - seeking to halt sales of unapproved compounded versions and pursuing damages, in a case that could ripple through the booming online weight-loss market.
(Photo: Parents who lost children to alleged social media–related harms hold a vigil ahead of a social media addiction trial in Los Angeles on February 5, 2026. Jill Connelly/Reuters: Reuters).

Long:Japanese stocks have surged after Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s resounding election win, pushing the Nikkei to a record high. Andrew Peach looks at what it means for Japan’s economy.
We’ll also hear about concerns from Indian farmers over the country’s interim trade agreement with the United States.
And why a major new international report says businesses often have more financial incentive to damage nature than protect it.

With TikTok being told by the EU to change what it believes is an 'addictive design' or face fines, we speak to cyber-psychologist Dr Sarah Hodge, and France's ambassador for digital affairs and AI, Clara Chappaz, on whether the continent is set to follow Australia's lead and ban children below the 16-years-old from using social media.
Will Grant reports on the latest as the critical fuel crisis in Cuba worsens and Havana's fuel pumps run dry.
Elsewhere, we look to Japan as the nation heads to the polls this weekend, and Ed Butler hears from Professor Maria Rodas on what it takes to make the perfect Superbowl commercial.
Global business news, with live guests and contributions from Europe, Latin America and the USA.
(Picture: A TikTok logo is seen in front of the headquarters of the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium. Credit: Olivier Hoslet / EPA / Shutterstock.)

After a week of significant drops across many AI and tech-related stocks, we speak to Nobel Prize winner Daron Acemoglu, and economist Cary Leahey of Columbia University in New York, to examine whether the tech bubble could be set to burst.
With Nike under investigation by Donald Trump's administration over claims it has hidden evidence that the company is using its so-called diversity, equity and inclusion policies to discriminate against white workers, Ed Butler speaks to Stefan Padfield of the Free Enterprise Project.
Elsewhere, Beijing says Panama will pay 'a heavy price' for a court ruling against a Hong Kong port owner, and we look at how a growing trend has led to Kenya's central bank banning people from using bank notes to make floral-like bouquets and decorations.
The latest business and finance news from around the world, on the BBC.
(Picture: A sign marks Wall Street near the New York Stock Exchange in New York, NY, USA. Credit: Sarah Yenesel/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock.)