Share Sounds. presented by Juliette Foster related to Economics - Macro-Economics

April marks the first anniversary of the Nepalese earthquake, which killed over eight thousand people and injured more than twenty one thousand others. After the disaster the International Monetary Fund told the Nepalese authorities they would have to pay back the $3.5 billion of debt the country owes to its creditors. The IMF said the money can't be written off because Nepal doesn't qualify for relief from a special fund for countries hit by natural disasters. That decision outraged anti debt campaigners who claim that wealthy states are often responsible for the financial problems of poorer countries. For example Mozambique's debt, which is priced in currencies like the Dollar, has ballooned because of the weak exchange rate, forcing the government to use 13% of its revenue to pay back what it owes. So is it time for the creditors to ease up on the indebted? Tim Jones, of the "Jubilee Debt Campaign", joins Juliette Foster in the studio along with Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator.

Conversations From Africa: Chris Bishop, Managing Editor of Forbes Africa Magazine joins Share Radio's Patrick Jones for more news from the continent in our weekly segment dedicated to all things African. This week he discusses more woes for the South African economy with talks of a downgrade to junk status, 'Guptagate', the huge mining court-case 'Once empowered always empowered' and more.

Professor John Weeks, Share Radio's regular economics commentator, joins Juliette Foster in the studio to give his take on recent challenging times for Western economies - who are operating in an environment of weak growth, falling interest rates and lower than normal levels of inflation.

Could you imagine a future where humans are out of work because their jobs have been taken over by highly intelligent robots? It may sound like the plot from a science fiction novel but technological advances mean it's a possibility that shouldn't be ruled out. A recent study by Oxford University found that 47% of all jobs in America could be carried out by robots with sophisticated artificial intelligence systems. We have this special report from Share Radio's Alexi Philips.

The US President Barack Obama gave his reaction to the climate change deal brokered in Paris last December. Among the headline making initiatives was the promise to keep global temperature increases below 2 degrees Celsius. Yet for some Green activists the deal was hardly a resounding success. Countries may be legally bound to have their emission reduction levels checked but there's flexibility on how they go about hitting their targets. And what about the economics of climate change? Did Paris make the link between excess human consumption and the impact on economies dependent on fossil fuels? Is it time to switch to a materialism that's environmentally friendly and economically kinder? We are joined in the studio by the author Andrew Simms of the New Economics Foundation and by Share Radio's regular economics commentator, Professor John Weeks.

With Abenomic's three arrows still not hitting their targets, Robert Van Egghen looks at what the future holds for Japan's struggling economy.

Julian Mayo, Co-Chief Investment Officer at Charlemagne Capital, discusses the latest market news