Suranjana Tiwari
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Man detained after Russian general's assassination
These discussions were between the two auto giants were first reported by Japan's Nikkei newspaper. They're understood to be in the very early stages and there's no guarantee that a deal will be struck.
Global News Podcast
Man detained after Russian general's assassination
But really, this is the clearest sign yet of some sort of reorganisation in Japan's auto industry in the face of immense challenges posed by car makers like Tesla, but also Chinese manufacturers of electric vehicles in particular. And this isn't the first time that the two manufacturers have collaborated.
Global News Podcast
Man detained after Russian general's assassination
In fact, they agreed to collaborate on some aspects of making electric vehicles with that announcement coming back in March. But these talks seem to be around deepening those ties. The two car makers are Japan's number two and number three automakers. And this would create a formidable domestic rival to Toyota, which is, of course, Japan's largest automaker.
Global News Podcast
Man detained after Russian general's assassination
That's right. I mean, some analysts that we spoke to today did say this is very good news because both companies are facing significant challenges. And we saw on the stock market that there was a great deal of optimism around a potential merger. Again, it's not confirmed it is a potential merger yet.
Global News Podcast
Man detained after Russian general's assassination
shares in Nissan surged more than 20% in Tokyo trade before having to be suspended, whereas Honda's shares were actually down 1.6%. And that gives us some indication about the optimism around the smaller company, which is Nissan, and how a potential merger might actually change things for Nissan. As you mentioned, A merger would allow them to make some more and perhaps better investments.
Global News Podcast
Man detained after Russian general's assassination
It would also reduce costs. But of course, there are always issues like having to make job cuts in these situations as well. Most of all, aside from the competition, the state of the global economy is also a real concern. Borrowing costs have been high for both these car makers and demand has been down in both Europe and the US.
Global News Podcast
Man detained after Russian general's assassination
And one analyst we spoke to said that even if a merger comes through, these companies are facing so many challenges, it might be a little too late. He described it as just rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.
Global News Podcast
Los Angeles wildfires force thousands from their homes
OpenAI's chief executive, Sam Altman's sister, Anne Altman, has filed a lawsuit alleging that he regularly sexually abused her between the years of 1997 and 2006. Now, the lawsuit was filed on the 6th of January in a US district court in the Eastern District of Missouri. That's where they grew up and alleges that the abuse started when she was three and Mr. Altman was 12.
Global News Podcast
Los Angeles wildfires force thousands from their homes
In the filing, which has been seen by the BBC, Ms Altman alleged that the abuse, which took place over many years, included rape. It added that the last instance of the alleged abuse took place when Mr Altman was an adult, but she was still a minor. Sam Altman has put out a joint statement on the social media platform X with his mother and two brothers.
Global News Podcast
Los Angeles wildfires force thousands from their homes
He denied the allegations, saying, ''All of these claims are utterly untrue.'' And he added that caring for a family member who faces mental health challenges is incredibly difficult. The situation causes immense pain to our entire family. Now, Ms.
Global News Podcast
Los Angeles wildfires force thousands from their homes
Altman has previously made similar allegations against her brother on X. But of course, Mr. Altman is one of the technology world's most high profile figures. So there will be a lot of attention on where this potential trial goes and where this case ends up.
Global News Podcast
The Ukraine War: What happens next?
Major stock markets tumbled this week as investors around the world are trying to get a handle on Donald Trump's sweeping and shifting policies. Tariffs and the uncertainty over trade are causing the most concern. But the America First policy on Ukraine is having an impact too.
Global News Podcast
The Ukraine War: What happens next?
In response to the conflict and increasing US isolationism, Germany has announced plans to increase defence spending and Europe plans to borrow more than $158 billion to lend to EU governments to bolster defence. The euro and European shares are surging as a result, as are German government bonds, as investors expect more spending to mean more borrowing.
Global News Podcast
The Ukraine War: What happens next?
Is there an opportunity for some people to benefit? Possibly, but there's still a lot of uncertainty and it's impossible to predict what might come next. And stock markets don't do well with uncertainty. Analysts say that while some investors may be taking profits during the stock market highs, there continues to be a great deal of volatility and fear and concern around the constant chaos.