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Business Matters: US 9/11 Bill Passes Despite Saudi Threats

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US 9/11 Bill Passes Despite Saudi Threats

18/05/2016 GMT

BBC World Service - Business Matters, US 9/11 Bill Passes Despite Saudi Threats

9/11 bill passes US Senate despite Saudi 'warning'

A bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government has passed a key hurdle in the US Senate.

The US Senate has passed a bill that could allow the victims of the September 11th terrorist attacks to sue the government of Saudi Arabia. Senators approved the legislation -- called the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act -- despite opposition from the White House.

Now the legislation will go to the lower house of representatives before appearing on the President's desk. Top Saudi officials reportedly threatened to sell off more than 750 billion of dollars in U.S. assets if Congress passed the bill. 

Roads are blocked and protestors are on the streets. Not an unusual state of affairs in France you might think, a country where demonstrations by workers in one industry or the other are pretty frequent. But the protests over the past few weeks against a controversial labour law are on a huge scale and they've turned violent. Today police used tear gas on the streets of Paris after masked protestors threw projectiles at officers.

The Philadelphia 76ers are named after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. And today they're making history for becoming the first NBA team to let sponsorship logos appear on player's uniforms. Their new sponsors are StubHub-- a website that's part of a 6 billion dollar industry in selling tickets to live events.

When something breaks, many of us just go out and buy a replacement. After all it's sometimes cheaper than getting it repaired. But there's a growing consciousness about the impact of our throwaway society on the environment. So the idea of mending - instead of replacing things - is one that's gaining support. In New York City, finding a place to get your clothes or appliances mended is not as easy as it used to be. Still, new generation of businesses are taking advantage of the make-do and mend attitude.

Anu Anand is joined throughout the programme by Paranjoy Guha Thakurta, editor of the Economic and Political Weekly in Mumbai, and Nicole Childers, the senior producer for Marketplace Morning and Tech Reports.

(Image: The Tribute in Light shines over the New York Skyline Credit: Kena Betancur/Getty Images)

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