Podcasts

Storyteller and financial journalist Chris Bishop speaks to Share Radio's Alex Clark, taking you across the continent of Africa for the major stories of the week. On today's programme: Chris and Alex reflect on Nanagate - a scandal that brought down a South African finance minister within days. They also tackle Ghana's recent election, as well as an African billionaire who's feeling the effects of Brexit.

On Sunday President-elect Donald Trump raised questions on whether his administration would continue to shun official contact with Taiwan. The Chinese government has since warned Trump that if he does not continue to respect the One China policy, which acknowledges Chinese sovereignty over Taiwan, the two countries will have "nothing to discuss". For more on Trump's remarks and their significance for the future relationship between the world's two largest economies, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined on the line by Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London.

Oil prices have surged on the news that non-OPEC but nonetheless oil producing countries have reached a new output deal. The move is intended to reduce the global glut resulting from recent entrants- particularly from the US. Investors in the UK are already processing the price boost: yields on 10-year UK gilts have 1.5% for the first time since May. Higher inflation expectations seems to lie behind the rise. For this story and others shaping markets today, Share Radio's Ed Bowsher was joined in the studio by Simon French, Chief Economist at Panmure Gordon.

Half of us overspend in pursuit of creating the perfect Christmas for family and friends, according to new research from TSB. In fact many Brits would sooner get into debt than consider reducing their festive spending. Nick Smith - TSB, Head of Personal Loans told Share Radio Morning’s Melanie Wray what they had found.

Christmas is just over a few weeks away. For many of us...it means spending money we may not have on gifts. But what if you want to reject the pressure to splash the cash and make presents instead? Share Radio Morning's Georgie Frost spoke to Kate Jackson, who is a textile artist who teaches and also makes commissions for books and other crafts.

A new study has found that 77% of us think a smart phone obsession is the most irritating habit a person could have. To find out more, Clinical Psychologist Dr Sue Stebbings and Paul Horlock from Nationwide Building Society spoke to Share's Melanie Wray.

Apparently, a quarter of us are unaware batteries can be recycled resulting in a staggering 10,000 tons of batteries ending up in landfill each year. Once there they can leak toxic chemicals which can contaminate the environment. Our reporter Tom Hill spoke to Chartered Chemist and Environmentalist David Reynolds to find out just how bad the problem is.

Apparently, Britain's agency workers underpaid and exploited. That's according to a think tank probe, which found agency workers are earning hundreds of pounds a year less than employees doing the same job. Half of all agency workers say they work on a permanent basis and three-quarters work full-time. The report says agency workers will rise to one million by 2020 if current growth trends continue. Joining Sue Dougan was the author of the report - Lindsay Judge, senior policy analyst at the Resolution Foundation.

New study suggests we will spend around 1.9 billion minutes on the internet on Christmas Day. Findings from the charity, Save The Children also shows over half of us are more likely to send texts to friends or family than Christmas Cards. But how much social media time is actually over the top? To discuss this further, Sue Dougan was joined by Helena Wiltshire, head of public relation for Save The Children.

The mince pies and Panettone are already in the supermarkets and that can only mean one thing, Christmas is edging closer. But as exciting as it is, paying for the big day can be hard on the pound in our pocket. Nick Hill from independent Money Advice Service is joins Sue Dougan to give us tips on how to keep our personal finances in order.