Federal agencies have started reopening after the longest-ever US government shutdown, but it's likely the lingering effects will be felt for months. Also in this edition: Scotland says it plans to issue its own government bonds, nicknaming them "kilts". Plus, a Russian humanoid robot falls flat on its face.

After President Donald Trump signed a bill into law on Wednesday that funds the US government, his administration ordered federal workers to report back to work this Thursday. In this edition, we take a look at what the reopening of the US government entails after the longest shutdown in the country's history. Over 1 million federal workers will have to receive back pay, and 42 million low-income Americans will be able to once again claim food assistance. 

US firm 1X Home Robots says its first "housekeeping robot" NEO can be ready to start working in homes next year. Meanwhile, China's XPeng unveiled its latest IRON robot, which moved so smoothly it had to cut open one of its legs to prove there wasn't a real human hiding inside. Humanoid robots have been around for decades, but with the advances of AI they have moved to a new level. Yuka Royer speaks with AI strategist Mark Minevich about just how far they have come, and how market competition is heating up. 

The International Energy Agency (IAE) released its annual World Energy Outlook this Wednesday, underlining the growing global demand for electricity, boosted by the rush to build AI data centres. The report also shows renewable energy outpacing fossil fuels despite the US turning its back on key climate commitments. Also in this edition: US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy puts pressure on lawmakers to end the shutdown and warns of air travel chaos over Thanksgiving.

Chinese consumers, anxious about the slowing economy and worn out by endless retail discounts, are showing signs of fatigue toward the annual "Singles' Day" shopping extravaganza – a worrying trend for Beijing as it looks to boost spending. The event was first launched by Alibaba in 2009 and is held each year on November 11. It has since grown into a month-long sales marathon for China's e-commerce giants. We take a closer look.

After US senators managed to pass a bill that could end what has been the longest government shutdown in US history, equity markets have reacted with strong gains on Wall Street and beyond. Nonetheless, the interruption in government work will take its toll on the US economy, as predicted by the Congressional Budget Office. Also in this edition: we head to China, where the Singles' Day shopping holiday now spans five entire weeks in a contest of slow consumer demand.

On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court's chief justices heard arguments over the legality of tariffs enacted by President Donald Trump using the Emergency Economic Powers Act, and questioned the reasoning of the administration. In this edition, we look at what the Court's decision could mean for the US economy, public finances and trade negotiations. Also in the show, we meet the French businesses targeted by fake Google review scams.  

Canada's Liberal government unveiled new federal budget plans in the House of Commons in Ottawa on Tuesday, which include a massive spending spree of 280 billion Canadian dollars (€173 billion). The spending is seen as a way to strengthen the Canadian economy after the imposition of steep tariffs by the United States, Canada's most important trading partner. Also in this edition: iconic French glassware cooperative Duralex raises €19 million in a day, just over a year after employees bought back the firm.

US coffee chain Starbucks has announced it is forming a joint venture with asset management firm Boyu Capital in China, where the latter will hold a 60 percent stake in the company's local business. China is Starbucks' second-largest market globally and it has recently been struggling with increased competition from local rivals like Luckin Coffee. Also in this edition, we look at OpenAI's blockbuster $38 billion deal with Amazon's cloud services unit.

Chinese e-commerce giant Shein has come under renewed pressure in France, just days before it opens its first permanent physical retail space in Paris. France's consumer watchdog said it had discovered child-like sex dolls on the e-commerce platform, prompting the government to warn it could block Shein's market access. In response, the Chinese-owned company suspended its "adult products" category. Also in the segment, Huawei's massive factory being built in Alsace faces an uncertain future. 

The French finance ministry says it will ban Chinese e-commerce giant Shein if child-like sex dolls reappear for sale on the site. Shein pulled the dolls after France's consumer watchdog said it discovered them last week. Under French law, distributing child sexual abuse material online is punishable by up to seven years in prison and a hefty fine. We bring you that story and more in this Monday's business news.

A rare meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in South Korea has brought a 10 percent reduction in US tariffs and a one-year postponement of China's rare-earth export controls, a limited de-escalation of the two countries' trade war. Also in this edition: America's central bank cuts interest rates for the second time this year, amid a lack of economic data due to the ongoing US government shutdown.

The US Federal Reserve has lowered interest rates for the second time this year, despite having only partial data to assess the state of the economy because of the ongoing government shutdown. The quarter percentage point cut brings the Federal Funds Rate to a range of 3.75 percent to 4 percent. The central bank also announced it would stop reducing the size of its balance sheet in December.  Also in this segment: Boeing posts a $5.4 billion third-quarter loss, weighed down by delays in its 777X rollout. 

A new survey shows a sharp slide in public concern for climate change, with war and conflict now dominating public worries. FRANCE 24's Yuka Royer speaks with Subhra Bhattacharjee, Director General of the Forest Stewardship Council, who tells her that despite fewer people citing climate change as their top concern, consumers are still preferring to shop green. "We have to translate the impacts of climate change into what it means for day-to-day action," she says.

Several trade deals and frameworks between the US and Southeast Asian countries unveiled at the recent ASEAN summit heavily favour Washington. Some analysts are concerned that the lopsided deals will push ASEAN countries towards Beijing, this as China beefs up its own trade ties with the region. Also in this edition: France's National Assembly passes an extension on corporate tax surcharges, and the US government shutdown threatens funding for critical social services.

Even if Argentinian President Javier Milei's La Libertad Avanza party is still short of a majority in parliament after Sunday's midterm elections, the self-described "anarcho-capitalist" now has more room to push ahead with radical economic reforms. Since coming to power in 2023, Milei has cut budgets for education, pensions and infrastructure and laid off tens of thousands of public sector workers. The president is also credited with lowering inflation, winning praise from US counterpart Donald Trump. We take a closer look.

US President Donald Trump has issued a pardon for the founder of Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.  Chanpeng Zhao spent four months in prison last year after pleading guilty to charges that he failed to implement measures to prevent money laundering while running the platform. We also take a closer look at the latest US and EU sanctions against Russia. 

The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it was placing Russia’s two largest oil producers — Lukoil and Rosneft — on the U.S. Treasury Department’s sanctions list. The move is aimed at targeting Russia’s war finances, as the two companies account for nearly half of the country’s crude exports. In this edition, we’ll explore how this decision could affect global buyers of Russian oil, particularly in India.

It's been three years since Giorgia Meloni became Italy's prime minister.  During her tenure, she has cut public deficit by more than half and brought unemployment down.  But beneath the surface, Italy's economy is still struggling, with weak growth, persistent structural weaknesses and an aging population. We take a closer look.  Also in the segment, a row over Chinese-owned chipmaker Nexperia and the Dutch government is starting to raise concern in Europe's manufacturing sector. 

US entertainment giant Warner Bros. Discovery has said it is exploring a potential sale of all or some of its media assets, this after it turned down a second takeover bid by rival Paramount Skydance and its CEO David Ellison. The company, which houses such properties as Warner Bros. Studio, CNN and HBO Max, saw its shares surge on Tuesday. Also in this edition: Brazil allows state oil giant Petrobras to explore an oil site at the mouth of the Amazon River, in spite of environmental concerns.