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State of emergency declared in Ukraine

Amid the threat of a Russian invasion, Ukraine faces a number of hurdles - some economic.

Amid the threat of a Russian invasion, Ukraine's economy faces a number of challenges. Jock Mendoza-Wilson is deputy chair of the British Ukrainian Chamber of Commerce, and discusses the current mood among businesses in the country. Meanwhile, the West continues to ratchet up sanctions on Russia.

The financier Bill Browder, who did business in Russia for many years, but has become an anti-corruption campaigner after his lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in a Russian jail after being beaten and tortured, offers his assessment of whether the sanctions go far enough to have much impact on the situation.

Plus, South Africa's finance minister Enoch Godongwana has just made his maiden Budget speech, including a tax cut for companies and a policy of wage restraint for civil servants. Siobhan Redford is an economist at RMB bank, and fills us in on the details.

Also in the programme, the International Energy Agency warns that worldwide emissions of the global warming gas methane may be around 70% higher than countries actually report. We find out about the economic arguments in favour of plugging methane leaks from Christophe McGlade of the IEA's Energy Supply Unit.

The latest cyber attacks on Ukraine are another reminder of the malign potential of digital technology in the wrong hands - though saying that invites a lot of questions about what is "right" or "wrong" in the context of the technology that now pervades every aspect of our lives. Can we take its fundamental neutrality for granted? We put some questions the author Stephanie Hare has been exploring in her new book, Technology is Not Neutral: A Short Guide to Technology Ethics.

(Picture: Passengers at a Kyiv railway station. Picture credit: Getty Images.)

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27 minutes

Last on

Wed 23 Feb 2022 22:32GMT

Broadcast

  • Wed 23 Feb 2022 22:32GMT