(Global Edition) From the BBC’s World Service … Ryanair has announced it will complain to regulators after rival Lufthansa’s announced a $250 million deal to buy part of Air Berlin. It claims Lufthansa’s dominance of the German market will push up prices, but with three airlines collapsing in recent months, what is really going on with Europe’s budget airlines? Then, 20 years after America imposed economic sanctions on Sudan, it has lifted them again. We explore what life was like under the sanctions and what the U.S. move means for businesses. Also, Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro faces a test this weekend as the country votes in regional elections. We look at what daily life is like for millions in a country where plummeting oil prices have crippled the economy, and talk to supporters of Chavismo – a political political ideology named after late predecessor Hugo Chávez.

(Markets Edition) We may get a new Federal Reserve chair soon, according to Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin. Not on the shortlist: current chair Janet Yellen. Diane Swonk, CEO of DS Economics in Chicago, joined us to discuss who the final contenders are and how the markets might react if they’re chosen. Afterwards, we’l look at how two retail workers on opposite sides of the country are coping with America’s retail crisis. 

(U.S. Edition) President Trump is expected to sign an executive order that would make it easier for Americans to buy basic insurance plans, but potentially make things harder for those with pre-existing conditions. On today’s show, we’ll look at how the insurance market will react to the uncertainty shrouding the future of health care. Afterwards, we’ll discuss the International Monetary Fund’s projections for global economic growth. It’s expected to grow at an overall rate of 3.6 percent this year — but that growth doesn’t apply to every country. Plus: We’ll look at how companies like H&R Block are trying to prevent the government from providing free tax-filing alternatives. 

(Global Edition) From the BBC’s World Service …  Jay Y. Lee, the de facto head of the Samsung empire, has appeared in a South Korean court to appeal a five-year jail sentence for corruption. We look inside a scandal that brought down the country’s president. Also, a looming deadline for President Donald Trump to recertify the Iran nuclear deal has sparked speculation that he will pave the way for sanctions to be reimposed. We examine the implications for Europe, Asia and the rest of the global business community. Then, political unrest in India has hit its tea pickers following a 100-day strike called by separatists in the country’s Darjeeling region. The strike is over, but what’s next for the area, and its Nepali-speaking Gorkhas?

(Markets Editon) Fourty-seven percent of entry level employees in America are women, but women make up only one-fifth of chief executives. And black women are especially underrepresented in executive roles. Currently, no black women serve as CEOs at any of the Fortune 500 companies. That doesn’t surprise Professor Ella Bell Smith. She joined us today to talk about the various institutional barriers that stand in the way of black women climbing the executive ranks. Also in this episode, President Donald Trump boasted in a tweet about “virtually unprecedented sock market growth since the election.” So we talked with Susan Schmidt, from Westwood Holdings Group, about stock market growth and what those numbers really mean. Plus, we do the numbers, (like we do every day).

(U.S. Edition) The fourth round of NAFTA negotiation talks begin today in Arlington, Virginia. President Trump recently reiterated threats to pull out of the deal, just as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was on his way to D.C. to meet with him. This round of talks is set to be the most contentious yet, which has some in Washington wondering if NAFTA could really end. Also on this episode: Most of the time banking is a boring industry, but right now big banks are excited about raking in record profits.  Most analysts are expecting profits of more than $21 billion.

(Global edition) From the BBC’s World Service …  First steel, then copper. Now Japanese company Kobe Steel admits it may have fabricated data on iron powder products used to make car gears. The company – and the rest of corporate Japan – is now investigating the issue amid safety fears in the global industrial powerhouse. We look at where the scandal will head next. Also, more bad news from Equifax. The credit reference agency has admitted almost 700,000 customers in the U.K. had their data stolen this summer, close to double its original estimate. Then, more than seven thousand foreign businesses have operations in Catalonia. We ask the head of the British Chamber of Commerce in Spain what these companies are thinking a day after Catalonia’s president declared independence – only to immediately suspend it.

(Markets Edition) Stock in Kobe Steel dropped 22 percent after the Japanese firm revealed it falsified data on the strength of the aluminum and copper parts it sold around the world. We’ll look at the companies could have been affected and what they’re doing to tackle the issue. Afterwards, we’ll talk with economist David Kelly, chief global strategist at JP Morgan Funds, about how the world economy is starting to pick up steam. Then, we’ll discuss today’s election in Liberia to replace Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Africa’s first female elected head of state. 

(U.S. Edition) A new corporate scandal is rocking Japan today. Kobe Steel has revealed that its copper and aluminum, which went to the likes of Toyota and Boeing, have not been up to standard. We’ll look at whether this could be as big of a problem as the Takata airbag recall scandal that began in 2013. Afterwards, we’ll discuss one activist investor’s push to get on the board of Procter and Gamble, and then look at the true costs of providing care for transgender members of the military (and how expensive it would be to hire replacements).