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World Business Report: First broadcast 2016/12/29 22:32 GMT: Madrid Bans Half of All Cars to Tackle Pollution

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Madrid Bans Half of All Cars to Tackle Pollution

First broadcast 2016/12/29 22:32 GMT

First broadcast 2016/12/29 22:32 GMT: Madrid Bans Half of All Cars to Tackle Pollution

BBC World Service - World Business Report, Madrid Bans Half of All Cars to Tackle Pollution

Emergency pollution measures came into force for the first time in Spain.

Even numbered car registration plates have been banned to tackle the smog and worsening air pollution in Madrid.

Emergency pollution measures came into force for the first time in Spain. Even numbered car registration plates have been banned to tackle the smog and worsening air pollution in the country's capital. We speak to Journalist James Badcock in Madrid to see if the ban is being observed. 

Elsewhere in the Mediterranean, Italy is caught up in a row with the Europe's financial regulator over plans to bail out the world's oldest bank Monte dei Paschi de Siena to prevent it from collapsing. Deborah Ball from the Wall Street Journal tells us exactly what's going on. 

Japan's Toshiba share price has been tumbling in recent days - after it admitted to overpaying for a US nuclear power station service company called Westinghouse. But it's not just Toshiba that's struggling to make money from electricity generated by uranium. Toshiba's rivals General Electric of the US and Areva of France are also having a tough time. Dr Paul Dorfman is from the Energy Institute at University College London, and is the founder of the Nuclear Consulting Group. 

Plus, Donald Trump enters the White House in 3 weeks time. He's promised to create huge numbers of jobs, build new infrastructure, and defend US companies from foreign competition he regards as unfair. Our regular and renowned Economist Irwin Stelzer tells us why he predicts Donald Trump's economic promises will give the US economy an even bigger boost than some expected. 

And on board Kenya's 'Lunatic Express' between Nairobi and Mombasa, notorious for its long delays and often breaking down en-route leaving passengers stranded for hours or even days. The BBC's Joshua Thorpe went to find out how a new railway line called the Standard Gauge Railway could cut journey times from 12 hours to 4 hours. 

(Picture: Policemen control the entrance to the city centre as cars arrive from the A-6 road into Madrid, Spain. Credit: EPA/JUAN CARLOS HIDALGO)

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First broadcast 2016/12/29 22:32 GMT: Madrid Bans Half of All Cars to Tackle Pollution

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